Page:Physical Geography of the Sea and its Meteorology.djvu/426

sextant's magnifier, we could plainly see a jelly-like substance without colour. At last a specimen was obtained of about two inches in length, and plainly visible to the naked eye; it was about the size of a large hair, and tapered at the ends. By bringing one end within about one-fourth of an inch of a lighted lamp, the flame was attracted towards it, and burned with a red light; the substance crisped in burning something like a hair, or appeared of a red heat before being consumed. In a glass of the water there were several small round substances (say 1/16th of an inch in diameter), which had the power of expanding to more than twice their ordinary size, and then contracting again; when expanded, the outer rim appeared like a circular saw, only that the teeth pointed towards the centre. This patch of white water was about 23 miles in length, north and south, divided near its centre by an irregular strip of dark water half a mile wide; its east and west extent I can say nothing about. I have seen what is called white water in about all the known oceans and seas in the world, but nothing that would compare with this in extent or whiteness. Although we were going at the rate of nine knots, the ship made no noise either at the bow or stern. The whole appearance of the ocean was like a plain covered with snow. There was scarce a cloud in the heavens, yet the sky, for about ten degrees above the horizon, appeared as black as if a storm was raging; the stars of the first magnitude shone with a feeble light, and the 'Milky Way' of the heavens was almost entirely eclipsed by that through which we were sailing. The scene was one of awful grandeur; the sea having turned to phosphorus, and the heavens being hung in blackness, and the stars going out, seemed to indicate that all nature was preparing for that last grand conflagration which we are taught to believe is to annihilate this material world. After passing through the patch, we noticed that the sky, for four or five degrees above the horizon, was considerably illuminated, something like a faint aurora borealis. We soon passed out of sight of the whole concern and had a fine night, without any conflagration (except of midnight oil in trying to find out what was in the water). I send you this because I believe you request your corps of 'one thousand assistants' to furnish you with all such items, and I trust it will be acceptable. But as to its furnishing you with much, if any, information relative to the insects or animals that inhabit the mighty deep, time will only tell; I cannot think it will."