Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1856-02-06

,;a,,,anant Bent Of .,sss United States Navy.
before the Geograpiii-
al and Statistical Socetf isst evening on ae
-. e q, ,,ear river In the Pacific, foSing
- af.gf ard along the coast Oh
.s;a. ana corresponding IN every cssehaai par
,ie,,lar. sss.h tie tall stream o. te attahtet ~
series oil careful observations with oato'iietei
and air a.id vater thermometers, toge'her "l.'i
- cam the logs oil lie winds, currents
,4 rasitions OF the ships OF the Pacific
.ls,,,, ,hs ,lala from which we're made dia-
rIs,,s al various passages between different
,,,;,,ts an The Asiatic coast and the eastern nan
~ tx. Pacific oecaf, were Obtained
trtase DIAGRAMS show an increased tempeth'
.,, ~ h,tb sea and water the moment TINS
cream Is entered. but that OF the water IS gen
n ,b., Greater. and 50 continues until the
stream il leff. On the northern edge, the trans
itions are comparatively abrupt, nut less SO on
the southeastern; and along the whole me oi '"e
stream, as well as in the middle OF 1t, strong
tide rips, resembling heavy breakers on sho"'S
OF roofs, are constantly encountered. ,--
The existence of . strong northeas' curreh' Va,
the coast of japan WAS noticed by Cook ana
nther carly nnvigators, and the Japanese have
e-;yen il the name Of the "knro-Siwo,' or SLACK
Stream" from its dark blue color, compared with
that of the adjacent ocean. Springmg from the
,rea, EQUATORIAL current of the Pacific, the ocean
Is stream extends from the Tropic of Cancer on
tho north 10 Capricorn, with width on the
south of three thousand miles, and velocity OF
from twenty to sixty miles day.
Upon reaching the coast of Asia, 1t Is diverted
to the west,and in passing through the great Po-
lvnesan Archipelago is split into innumerahie
streams. which diiluse fertilizng warmth over
all that portion of the globe. The "huro-Siwo,
| which extends from the southern end OF the Is
| land of FormoSa 10 the Straits OF Sangar Is, con
seauently an oI,-shoot OF the parent stream. II
| washes the whole coast of Japan far as the
| Straits OF Sanger, separating Nphon from jesse
[ with an average velocity OF from IS TO ~ miles
| and width varying from loo 10 500 miles AT
this point current OF cold water, running coNh-
ter and intervening between 1t and the. southern
and cas- tern coast OF Jesse, is encountered. ltls
! supposed to proceed from The Arctic ocean and
! is 50 powerful that vessel attempting to maze
! headway against it, is almost sure to be drltcd
| to the southwest.
! Striking rescmblances between the "kuro-Si-
! wo" and the Gulf Stream may be traced-Such
! as tn. condolences in their recurvation, and III
the strata of cold water lying in the Longitude
! nal direction of each Of them.
| The influence of the "karo-Siwo' upon tie eli
! mates of Japan and the west coast OF North
! America, is as might be expected as striking rs
| THAI OF the Gulf Stream on the coasts bordering
| -
| of Japan, with the intervening sea between It
| and the continent of Asia, it has more cqnahIe
| climate than we enjoy in the United States; and
since the counter current of the "kuro-Swo"
| does not make its appearance on the eastern
shores of the islands sonth OF the Straits Of san
| gar, and as these islands, in their geographical
| position, have a more eastwardly direction than
| our coast, the "kuro-Swo,' unlike the Gulf
Stream, sweeps close along this shore, giving a
mildcr climate to that portion of the empire than
is enjoyed in corresponding latitndes in the Uni
! ted States
The softening influence of the "kuro-Siwo" is
| felt on the coasts of Oregon and California, but
| in less degree perhaps than those Of Gulf
Stream on the coasts of Europe, owing to the
| greater width fthe Pacific ocean over the At
| luntic.
Still, the winters are so mild in Puget's Sound,
in lat. IS deg North, that rarely falls there
and the Inhabitants never enabled 10 till their
| icchouScs tor the summer, and vessels trading to
| PctromulowShi and the coast OF kamtschatka
when becoming unwicldy frcm accumulation Of
ice on their bulls and rigging, run over to a high
| er latitude ON the American coast, and thaw out,
i'll the same manner that Ne sels frozen mp on orr
| coast retreat again into the Cali Stream until ia
| vorcd by an caStcry wind.
| Commodore Perry, and several of our leading
shipmasters engaged in the Pacific commerce,
were present during the reading of Lieut.. Bcnt's
paper ~ Y. Eve. Post,