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and ran on shore about twelve miles to the N. W. of Rock Island thinking she was going direct for it. It is the opinion of many nautical men that this northerly set is due to the direction in which the wind blows, and that it only occurs during south-easterly or southerly winds. But to my mind the most feasible way of accounting for it is that the flood tide, which rushes towards the S. W. between Rock Island and the shore, and which impinges on and is mot by the Japan Stream, is turned towards the north immediately after it passed Cape Idsu, and finds a means of egress in the Suruga Gulf. Just in the same way as Captain Brown has explained in his paper, that the Oyasiwa on the Mast Coast where it meets the Japanese Stream is turned towards the West, and has been the cause of so many wrecks in the vicinity of Inaboye.
Captain W. McDonald, being called upon by the Chairman, said that he had arrived too late to hear the paper read, and so could not make any remarks upon it, but that it was many years since he had been in a position to study the subject. What experience he had had in former years was recorded in the Nautical Magazine of 1862–3. With respect to the currents he might mention that on one occasion, after good observations on the previous day, he experienced off the Gulf of Yedo a current of 60 miles E.S.E. in 16 hours.
Mr. J. Pitman said that he had unfortunately arrived too late to hear the whole of the paper read, but must decidedly take exception to the statement that the wrecks of the Hermann, Ariel, Relief and Nil were attributable to the influence of the unknown currents on the Japan Coast. With regard to the Nil there might be, as Mr. Brunton had remarked, a current at times setting out of the Suruga gulf round Cape Idzu into the Gulf of Yedo, but these inshore currents and eddies, dependent as they were on local and tidal influences, were not peculiar to Japan, and a prudent navigator knowing the uncertainty of these inshore currents, in thick and heavy weather would guard against being within their influence. The subject with which the paper treated was one of great general importance, and therefore deserving of close investigation. There could be no doubt that we had but a very imperfect knowledge of the currents on this coast, and he would mention a fact which came under his own observation in February 1871 when on board the S.S. Acantha. She had left Yokohama and having met a strong westerly gale outside was forced to seek shelter under Cape Diamond until the wind moderated. On continuing her westerly course after sunset, expecting to make Rock Island light, she was found at midnight to be inside and close alongside the Redfield rocks and had a very narrow escape of being wrecked. It was only fair to mention that the vessel was only in “ballast trim” at the time.
Mr. W. H. Smith called attention to the fact that there were so few persons present prepared to discuss this very important subject, and raised the question whether it might not
