The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1869-05-26

regular meetug OF tue AmcFhCau Neo-
graphical and Statistical Society was held last
night al their room in Cooper Institute, the
! President, Mr.. Charles P. DAILY, in the chair.
I Mr. 5. r. Rugyles, Henry Grinnell and Dr..
! Hayes were on the platform. The President
stated that the society was In receipt Of
japanese compass from Mr.. Geo. W. Blunt,
brought from Japan by Commodore Perry,
In his famous expedition to that country.
This compass, Ii was said, was the FIRST form
Of the compass known, having been In use
two hundred years before the Christian era.
Since the previous meeting OF the society
they have received from DIR. Albert l. Bush
nell, a missionary in Western Africa, copies
of all the books that have been published In
that region for the propagation of religion in
languages that have thus far been reduced to
writing.
The paper of Captain Bent on Polar Ex-
ploraiion was read by the President, its author
being unable 10 be in attendance. Captain
Bent, II was said was the flag officer to Com
modore Perry's expedition TO Japan, and
was afterward appointed BY the Government
to the Hydrographical Department The
paper commenced by expressing doubt
whether all former expeditions TO the Arctic
seas have not pursued mistaken route in
attempting 10 go by way Of Bafiin's Bay In
stead of Behring's Straits, or Spitsbergen.
II would seem that all previous explorers In
up the stream against hyperborean current
iilled with opposing ice, while If they had
tried the Northeast passage they would have
gone down stream in waters warm from the
tropics and opening pathway TAR into the
Arctic Sea, II not to the very Pole itself
Captain Bent had his attention first called to
this subject in lS4S while stopping at the
Sandwich Islands, on his way to China At
these islands he met Captain Of 4 whaling
ship, who stated that "he had gone several
hundred miles to the Dorihward and east
ward from Behring's Straits and three hun
dred miles beyond the limits of his charts,
aud with an open sea still before him as far
as could be seen in that direction On ar
irving at China, the Frc1le, the ship on board
of which Captain Bent was an officer, went
TO Japan to rescue some shipwrecked Ameri-
can seamen. As soon as the Ifebe left
Hongkoug the monsoon and ocean currents
were encountered, so that she was obliged TO
heave-to under storm sails. The effect Of
the winds upon a ship thus lying, If uninfiu-
enced BY ocean currents, would be TO drift
her TO leeward at the rate of about thirty
miles a day. When, after three days, the
storm abated land was seen, IL was taken for
the Base Islands, a hundred miles TO the
southwark of Formosa; but ii afteTward
turned out TO be the northern end of that
island and that the ship had been carried by
the current ninety miles 10 the northward
against the wind, or one hundred and eighty
miles to the northward of where she would
have been had there been no current, and
nearly five hundred miles to the northward
of where she wOnld have been had she con-
tinued within the influence of the southerly
current of the Formosa channel, instead Of
crossing il The experience of this cruise
confirmed the Captain in the belief In the ex-
istenee of two powerful currents; and it
was known that few miles TO the south
- ,lf h.s AL rFrr ssrsf
poured its immense volume into the China
Sea at righ. angles to both of these currents.
Subsequent investigation convinced Captain
Bent that these currents constituted sys-
TEN identical In its essentisl features with
that of the Atlantic. These two grand cur
rents, it was ascertained, moved TO the west
ward, along the Equator; that Of the ATTAIN
tic finding no other outlet from the Gulf Of
Mexico, has its whole volume forced round
to the north of Cuba and detected thence
northwardly along the coast of Florida,
forming the Gulf Stream, while that of the
Pacific passing mostly through the Polyne-
sian Islands and China Sea, has q large shay
ing, as it were, torn off its northern side by
the south end of Formosa, which by IFS con-
densed momentum, is like the Gulf Stream
thrown with increased velocity TO the north
ward, and forming the Kuro -Siwo, or Japan
Stream. Portions Of both these streams,
however, pursue their courses uninterrup-
tedly, to the northward and eastward iuto
the Arctic Ocean--that from the Gulf Stream
by the way of Spitzbergen, and that from the
Kuro-Siwo by Behring's Straits. When the
effect of these oceanic currents in modifying
the Temperatures of both the western part of
Europe and America is considered It does
not seem unreasonable to believe that the
portions of the Gulf Stream and OF the Kuro-
Siwo that penetrate the Arctic Ocean carry
with them warmth enough not only to dis
solve all the ice and snow they encounter in
their paths, but enough also to keep an open
sea about the Pole at all seasons OF the year.
In conclusion, Captain Bent stated that he
believed that ship sailing to the North
Pole by the way Of Spitzbergen, and follow
ing the water thermometer rather than her
compass, would accomplish her object.