OUR BOYS GIRLS

THE

OLIVER OPTIC, Editor.

THE GULF-STREAM.

HE Gulf-stream is an immense river of warm water flowing along the eastern coast of North America to the north and east. Its origin is not definitely known; still theories are abundant. The Gulf of Mexico seems to be a basin, into which flow the ocean currents. Bottles thrown overboard from ships, in all parts of the ocean, are found in the vicinity of the Gulf of Mexico, or upon the coast of England and Ireland, carried there by the Gulf-stream, thus showing that they had come from the Gulf of Mexico. Certainly, such a heaping up of waters in this central basin must cause an outflow.

Again, the increase of temperature of the waters under the tropical sun would send them to colder regions, for in nature everything tends to an equilibrium. Again, the waters of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico are much salter than those in any other part of the ocean, while the waters to the north-east are fresher; the waters of the Northern Ocean have much less salt in solution, and those of the Baltic are almost fresh; so this salt water, of greater density, would have a tendency towards the fresher portions.

poles; for the nearer to the poles the less the distance to be travelled in making a revolution. So a current of air or water flowing from the equator towards the North Pole cannot immediately accommodate itself to the slower movement of the earth as it leaves the equator, but, retaining its original motion, is turned off to the east; and, for the same reason, a current starting from the Arctic Ocean cannot accommodate itself to the increasing motion of the earth as it nears the equator, and thus is shot off to the west. Thus the fact is, that the Gulf-stream takes a northeast course, and the stream from the Arctic a south-west; for its cold waters have been detected under the Gulf-stream in the vicinity of the Caribbean. To this same law of motion is to be attributed the fact that on railroads running north and south, a train going to the north has a tendency to run off on the east side; while on the same road a train running south has a tendency to run off the track on the west side - facts well known to engineers; - also the fact that all the drift of the Gulf-stream is on the east side, — no logs,' wrecks, &c., found on the American coast; while on the Mississippi River the greatest amount of drift is on the west side, this stream running south.

The Gulf-stream is a great distributor of heat. Were it not for this, France, Ireland, England, &c., would be like Labrador! Liverpool, although two degrees higher than St. John, seldom has its harbor frozen over! We read of the fogs of the Grand Banks and of England. What causes them? The smoking, steaming, warm waters from the south meet the cold currents from the north, and we naturally have fog as the result. Notice how

The cause of this increased saltness in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea has been attributed to the evaporations caused by the north-east tradewinds - winds always blow-wisely this grand heating apparatus is aring in the same direction over an area of three millions square miles, and over a strong surface-current setting into the Gulf. In evaporation the salt is left behind. The yearly evaporation of the north-east trade regions of three millions square miles is estimated at fifteen feet. The salt contained in this fifteen feet would cover the British Islands to the depth of fourteen feet. It is easy to see how the Gulf may be salted so as to keep!

ranged. Supposing the Gulf-stream rested upon the earth instead of a stream of icewater, as it actually does; as the earth is a better conductor of heat than water, before the stream had reached England, most of its heat would have passed to the earth, over which it had moved; as it is, but very little heat is lost in moving over the arctic river.

The effects of the Gulf-stream upon navigation are too numerous to mention. It may be well enough to state, however, that Dr. Franklin was among the first to detect its

Having started the waters in the Gulf-stream, why should they take a north-east course, to-importance, about the time of the commencewards Ireland and England? This easterly direction does not result from the shape of the coast, but from the rotation of the earth. The earth revolves from west to east; the motion at the equator is much more rapid than at the

ment of the Revolutionary War. It was formerly the boast that with true Yankee shrewdness he kept his discovery from the English till after the war, that our own seamen might have the sole advantage of the knowledge.

MR. GRACEWOOD AND ELLA LEAVE FOR THE ISLAND. Page 278.

FIELD AND FOREST;

ов,

BY OLIVER OPTIC.

CHAPTER IX.

IN WHICH PHIL HAS A VISITOR AT THE
CASTLE.

"WON'T you ride?" I

asked, as the young lady stepped out of the road to allow

my team to pass.

"No, I thank you," she answered, with a smile and a blush.

I did not then understand the absurdity of the invitation I extended to her. The wagon was simply a platform on wheels, with stakes. It had been built by old Matt, though the wheels had been brought from some town hundreds of miles down the river. It was the only vehicle on the place, and was used for carting wood and hay, and for all the purposes of the farm. It was not a suitable chariot for a civilized young lady, dressed as prettily as Miss Gracewood was.

"Did you know that the steamer you came in had gone?" I added.

"Gone!" exclaimed she, with a start, and an expression of utter despair.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by LEE & SHEPARD, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court

"She left half an hour ago." "What shall I do!" cried she, so troubled that I felt very bad myself. "The steamer cannot have gone without me."

"She went more than a half an hour ago," I added. "I suppose they thought you were on board."

"O, dear, what shall I do!"

night," said she, as she strained her eyes in gazing up the river.

"Your friends on board would compel the captain to return; but he is a very good man, and I think he will be willing."

"But they may not miss me. There are very few passengers on board, and I have a state-room all to myself. I have been in it

"She will come back after you when they half the time, reading, and they may think I find you have been left behind."

"Do you think they will?" "To be sure they will."

"Why did she go so soon? They have always stopped three or four hours in a place."

"I suppose the boat had more business to do at other landings than here. She only stopped here for wood. She whistled and rang her bell half an hour before she started. Didn't you hear the whistle?"

"I did hear it, but not the bell, which I supposed was the signal to call the passengers. It was such a pretty place in the forest that I enjoyed it very much, and I did not think of such a thing as the steamer starting for sev- | eral hours. The boat whistles so much that I am used to it, and don't heed it. What will become of me!"

"I don't think you need trouble yourself much about it. The steamer will come back' as soon as they miss you," I continued, very much moved when I saw the tears starting in her eyes.

"I'm afraid they won't miss me." "Why, certainly they will," I protested, earnestly. Won't you ride down to the landing?"

am there."

"There will be another steamer along in a few days, and you can go in her."

"In a few days!" repeated she. "What can I do for two or three days?"

"There's Mr. Mellowtone," I interposed, pointing to the pretty barge of my friend, who was returning to the castle as he had promised to do.

"And who is Mr. Mellowtone?" inquired my fair companion.

I explained who he was; and by the time I had finished my description, we arrived at the │landing.

"There is no steamer to be seen," said Miss Ella, sadly.

"But she will come back, I am sure, even if she has gone a hundred miles, when they discover your absence," I replied.

"I wish I could think so."
"You may depend upon it.”
"It is almost dark now."

"The steamers run by night as well as by day, in this part of the river, when the water is as high as it is now."

She walked down to the bank of the river, and continued to gaze earnestly up the stream, while I employed myself in loading my goods. I did not think, when I bought the barrel of flour, that I was now alone, and two hundred pounds was more than I could lift from the ground to the body of the wagon. But in the backwoods every person is necessarily full of expedients. Taking a shovel from the shanty,

She glanced at the dirty wagon. She appeared to be tired after her long walk, and the invitation was a temptation to her; but the character of the vehicle did not please her. I had put a clean box on the wagon to contain the small stores I had purchased. "You can sit on this," I added, pointing to which Matt had built as a shelter in stormy the box.

"I don't think I can get into the wagon."

I jumped upon the ground, and placed the box near the vehicle, so that she could use it as a step. I did not understand the rules of gallantry well enough to offer to assist her when she really needed no assistance. She stepped upon the box, and, grasping one of the stakes, easily mounted the platform. I placed the box in the middle of the wagon, and she seated herself. I drove slowly to the landing-place, so that the motion of the rude vehicle might not disturb her.

weather, I dug a couple of trenches into the slope of the hill, corresponding to the wheels, and then backed the wagon into them, until I had a height of less than a foot to overcome. Using a couple of sticks as skids, I easily rolled the barrel of flour upon the vehicle. After loading the other articles, I was ready to return to the castle.

Miss Ella stood on the bank of the river, still watching for the steamer. It did not come, and I invited her to return with me. She was chilled with the cool air of the evening, and reluctantly consented. I made a seat “I am afraid they won't come back to- for her on the wagon, and assured her I should