An Account of the Result of Some Attempts Made to Ascertain the Temperature of the Sea inGreat Depths, Near the Coasts of Lapland and Norway; as Also Some Anecdotes, Collected inthe Former. By Charles Douglas Esquire, F. R. S. Then Captain of His Majesty's Ship theEmerald, Anno 1769Author(s): Charles DouglasSource: Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), Vol. 60 (1770), pp. 39-45Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/105875 .

Accessed: 17/05/2014 16:57

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

.

The Royal Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to PhilosophicalTransactions (1683-1775).

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 91.229.248.85 on Sat, 17 May 2014 16:57:27 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

[ 39 ]

Received November g, x "6g.

VI. An Xccoant of thg Rep?zlt of fome H2etntts made to vflertain the 1Snper4- tgre of the Sev in great Depths, near the CoaJis of Lapland anaf Norway; vs a/aeSrgcdotes, ce z the former e Charles Douglas- &gre, FX R. S. hen Capt of hir efly's Ship te Emerald, Anno 1769.

Read Feb. 8, ^ }TAY the Izth, x769, between ehe 77 * lYl inands of F;urey and HammerfeRX

in Laplandt iP- the latitalde of 7° 40-', between the hours Qf 6 alld 9 p. m. the thermometer Rood in the open air at 27, in the Sea at the furface 36> and in three feveral depths,^ fFom 87 to 78 fathosns at the bottomS as often tried, at 39+.

May x7th, in nearly the fame place, the th-ermoo meter harring at noon Rood in the opell air at 44> Itood between 7 and 9 p. m. at 38,, at the furface 37; and at the bottom in the depths of 86 and go fathoms, kaving been twice triedy at 39.

May asd, in lat. 70° 32'* between the ifland o£ HammerfeR and ths main land of Ffizmark, abous

7 p.m.

This content downloaded from 91.229.248.85 on Sat, 17 May 2014 16:57:27 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

[ 4o ] 7 p. m tbe. thetmometer Rood at 40> in the open wir, in the lea at tlle f-urface at 37; and at the bot- tom in 80 fathofns depth, at 39.

3une agth in the afterlloon, between the inand of Maggerot anxd the main land of IJapland, in lat. 7o° 54t, the- tbermometer {tood in the opell aw at 47 sn tbie fea,> at the fgface at 44*, and in 98 fathoms waters at the ground at 4o.

July 7th at feas about 6 leagues diRance from the :ifland of Tromfiound,- ia the lat. of 7oo 45t, the ernwmeter m the open tir at 46, in the Sea at the fuice 44, and at e bottom 70 fathoms deep 44*

-July 8th, tn lat. 68 43t, at the dillance of I2 or

- x4 leagues from the ifand of Lofoot, in the province of Norland, the thern}oter lkoM in the open air gt 46} in the fea at the fLXrfice 47, 260 fathoms below the furface, but not at the bottom, at 52: and xoo fatlonls below tlle furface at 46*

July gth, sn lat 65° 2ls, the thermometer in the -open air at 48, in the fea at the furfice 48-2Io

fathoms deep upon the grourld at 48: and loo fatholms below the furface at 46. N. B. The (hip was ti<en by reckoning about so or 25 leagues from tbe-neareR part of Norway.

July toth, its lat 64°-;+o', about 3o leaguc8 from the coalt of Norway the ther-mometer in the open air and in tlle Sea at the fiurface at 5s, at theground i} s4s bthofn water, u 46 and 75 fathonls below the furface at 4S

The £oret,oing ther.mometrxcal experiments, made in deep waterJ were effeflred by sneans of a tin

sylindgr; contisuing a large quart, with- an apparattls therein,,

This content downloaded from 91.229.248.85 on Sat, 17 May 2014 16:57:27 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

[ 4I ]

*helein, fo contrived, as to keep tlle tl;erwlzolueter -Randing upright in the nziddle thereof, without toucl- ing its ffdes: thus enclofed in a cife, filled w-tth water froul along-fide, and covered with a cap, fo as- to be-perfetily water-tight; iI funk it wstlwEtlz: deep-f.ea Jbunding-lead; letting i£ hang jufl: cIer of the groilnd k-r the fipase of balf an hour, and then had it hauled up as briSkly as poilble, alld the cafe being inRantly opened I ilfEced the -:thermomerer. I found the inconvenience however of makin.g t-lle ex- l)eriment sn this way, becaufe of the lengtE of time t-Izereto neceSary: wherefore I nzade a very -:Mmall hole in each end of the cylxinder, wthereby to let the water in and the air outX arzd fent it down empty, to the end that it might fill as far b-elow the iurface as pofllble, fuffering it however always to hang a fre«r mit3utes, that0- it might burels be full before I cauSed the boat's crew to igin hauling it up. Thc iead, with this apparatus faftened to the line a li-ttle abonle ltj funk 260 fathoms :in 3 X lzzinutes, alld was hauled

.

uplnl3 I. During my Itay in Lapland, I made all the enquiry

poEble as to the exikence of the aquatic animalC called Kraaken:s, whofe dimenfrons (according to Pontoppldsn) appear to me to be far beyod tlse feale of nature; but I never met >tith any perSon who had either talked with or lleard oft any one living, who had feen any fuch monRers R on the con- trary, the moR inte}ligent faid, they belitved *lch never exi{ted otherwife than in imagixtion. But with regasd to the StoorWorms (vvhich I have oStener heard calIed Ses Worms by tlle Norwegiansj, tlloSe who totall difcredlted the exiAence of the IRraakens

vOL. LS. G told

This content downloaded from 91.229.248.85 on Sat, 17 May 2014 16:57:27 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

[42 ] 1d me, they believed them really to exiQ and a few days before I left the North Cape the Danifh tnlfl41onary of PorEanger diAritt did me the favours clofely to interrogate the maRer of a Norwegian veXel, who appeared to me to be by much the moIt know- ing man in his Ilation 1 had nzet with in Lapland, as to thofe Rupendous worms, as they are called. He faid, that about flx years before, he had Seen three of them at once off Bergen, floating upon the fu-- face of the fea, twelve parts of the back of the largeft appearing above water; each part being in length about fix feet, witll the intervals of the lame length, fo that upon the whole he judged the animal could not be lefs than twenty-five fathoms long, and about one in thicknefs. He did not pretend to af- certain the dinzenI1ons of the other twoX further thaa their being Emaller than the one thus imperfeEtly defcribed, and added, that foalr years before he faw thoSe laR, he had (near tlle fame coaIt) feen a large one, but could fay nothing partictllar as to its flze. What degree of credit is due to this man's account, I fiulemit to the judgement of the learnesd Society.

After much enquiry, I could learn 1lothing fatisS- fad:tory touching the faluous Wllirlpool (called by the Norwegians alld Dutch the I\4aa1 Strooul) lying betweell the inands of Lofoot, until I met with tllis intelligent perSon, who gave me fotne accourlt thereof, in fiubllance as follows § viz. That at high *rater it is perfeEtly *mooth and Iife to paEs over; but as the tide, either ebh or flood, gathers IlrengthX it becomes in proportiorl exneedingly agitated and dangerous, vvhich extretne agitatiot] and whirling, I ;refume, nzuR be owing to the unevenneSs of the rocky bottomw

over

This content downloaded from 91.229.248.85 on Sat, 17 May 2014 16:57:27 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

[43 ] 0ver which the current rolls with vaI} rapidity? beW xng confined-in a narrow paSage; for this Norwegiam told me, that at rery low water, lharp pointed rockst reaching then a-lDove the furface, have been feen be- tween the inands above-mentioned. No wonder then, that fuch veSels tnay llave been turned upfide down, as may have been dras7vn by the tideS in itsa moR rapid fiate, into this gulph. The filmple agi tation of- the water would iuiciently account indeed for the lofs of open boats. Imperfedc as it is, in: my humble opinion, this account,: if truea which I believe it to bey unravels in fome mearure, the myRery of the Norwegian whirlpool; which I how_ cver regret, not having myfelf conflIVerltly with my crders, had ;t in my power -nlinutely to e;raminev

The foregoing is with great deferetce and reEpe&> erefented, by the Royal Society'->

MoR huWmble

aIld moR obedient fervant,

Cha. Dougiass

N. B;. The therlmotuetrical experiments in queRiow were made at tiie fuggeflion of Sir. Wilfono ProfeSor of ARronomy at Glafgow, wah a ther_ mometer of his makin-g^

OBSE.R*.v

This content downloaded from 91.229.248.85 on Sat, 17 May 2014 16:57:27 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

This content downloaded from 91.229.248.85 on Sat, 17 May 2014 16:57:27 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions