The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-09-02
I GEOGRAPHY Of the Sea.

Recent events have given great interest to
whatever pertains to the sea, and many who,
until recently, had never given the matter
q thought, are now eagerly, seeking what
ever will throw any new light upon the
subject. Lieut.. Maury, who has made many
valuable contributions TO Silence, in his work,
the "Geography Of the Sea" states facts of
great intercst.r he says that the deepest
place in the sea is supposed to be between
the parallel of So and 4oo OF ,.c rth latitude,
Immediately to the south Of the Grand
Banks, S' undings have revealed that the
ocean has not SO great a depth as it was
once supposed to have. The greatest depths
which have been reached are $4,000 feet, or
four miles and three-quarters. As regards
the saltness Of the sea, II is said that, taking
the average depth Of the ocean at two miles
and its average saline strength at three ard
a half per cent its salt would cover, to the
thickness Of one mile, an area of :even
millions of square miles, all of which passes
into the inte; stices f.sea water, withoutin,
creasing its bulk. The rivers of the South
ern Iiemispheres are supplied with their wa
tiers by the northeast trade.winds; but as the
evaporating surfacc-that is the area Of sra
over which they blow--contains between
the parallels Of and % degrees North,
only %, 900, 600 Of square miles, while the
evaporsting surface in the Southern Hemis-
phere is 75,000,000, the quantity of rain,
which falls in the latter is comparatively
small. The mean annual fall of rain, which
is evaporated principally from the seas of
the Torrid Zone, is estimated at about FIVE
feet. If we suppose it all TO come from the
zone, il would be equivalent to the waters
of lake 24,000 miles long, 1900 broad,
and l6 feet deep; and this water is annual
ly raised up into the sky, and brought down
again by the exquisite, though complex ma
chinery of the atmosphere, (which never
wears out nor breaks down, nor fails to do
its work at the right time and In the right
way.
Cnder the bead of Drift Currents, Lieut..
Msury describes a commotion in the water,
called "Tide Rips" revealing conflict of
tides or currents. They are generally found
near the equatorial Gains, starting up with
out any wind, and moving along at the rate
of 60 miles an hour, with roaring noise,
as if they would dash over the frail bark,
helplessly tapping its sails against the
masts." To other unexplained movements
of the sea, the name OF BWes and Eagres
has been given. The Borcs Of India, of the
Bay of Fundy. and of the An,nzcn, are the
most remarkable. They are Tremendous
tidal waves, which roll in periodically from
the ses, enguil6ng deer, horses, and other
wild beasts that frequent the beach. The
name Eagre Is given 10 the Bore of Tsien
Tang river. II attains its greatest magni
tude opposite to the city of Hang-chau, one
of the busiest in Asia, and when il appears,
it is announced with loud shouts from the
sailors, drowned in it, noise Of thunder
All work comes TO stand. A wall, like
one of chalk, or rather cataract four or
five miles across, and thirty feet high, ad-
vanccs with velocity OF twenty-five miles
AN hour. Ii passes up the river in an in
stan', with diminishing velocity, occas o al
ly reaching a point eighty miles from the
city. The rise and fall Of the wave Is some
times forty feet at Hang-chau, and tits sup
posed to he produced bya pccniiar -coufgu-
alton of the river and It's estuary. 1lII! =