1.What is the Gulf Stream？Whence does it come？Where does its current cease to flow？To what cause or causes is it due？These questions have often beenasked from the time when Columbus made his great voyage of discovery，four hundred years ago，down to the present day；and even now there are some of them which have not been satisfactorily answered.
2.It has been well described as “a river in the ocean.”It flows along the coast of North America from thesouth of Florida to Cape Hatteras，and thence crosses the Atlantic toward the shores of Europe.It has its source in the Gulf of Mexico，which is fed fromthe Caribbean Sea.This in turn receives its watersfrom the Atlantic Ocean，into which the Gulf Stream itself again pours its own supply.Thus there is，in reality，a grand circular movement of the whole of the North Atlantic，and of this movement the Gulf Stream is a portion.
3.This river is very warm，because it has been heated by the sun during its course through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.It has its own finny inhabitants and other animal life：curious crabs that make nests in the floating sea-weed；beautiful little jelly-fish，floating or swimming near its surface in such countless numbersthat at times the waters are brown with them；gracefulflying-fish，which dart out of the water in shoals；andcountless myriads of minute animals floating about，so that the water seems to be filled with motes.
4.In point of size，this ocean river far excels the rivers of the land.The Mississippi near its mouth is about two thousand feet wide and one hundred feet deep.The Gulf Stream，at its narrowest point in the Strait of Florida，is more than two thousand feet deep，and over forty miles wide.In point of speed，few navigable rivers equal the Gulf Stream at this part of its course，as it hurries along at a rate of four，five，and sometimes over six miles an hour.The water is of a beautiful deep blue；and on the edge nearest the coast，its line of meeting with the shore water is frequently so sharply defined that at one end of the vessel you may see the clear warm water from the south，while at the other end is the cold dark water from the north.
5.When Columbus crossed the ocean to America for the first time in 1492，he discovered the existence of the current which enters the Caribbean Sea，and helps to form our Gulf Stream.All the old Spanish navigators noticed this current，and wondered what could be its cause.The Gulf Stream itself was notdiscovered until the famous Ponce de Leon went to search for the “fountain of youth.”He had been told of a wonderful well or spring on the island of Bimini；and the Spaniards，who were always on the look-out for remarkable or valuable objects，fitted out an expedition of discovery.
6.They did not know where Bimini was，except that it lay somewhere north-west of Porto Rico；but they set out，hoping to find the means of cheating time，and making the old young again.They sailed along the eastern side of the Bahama Islands，and finally reached the coast of Florida.Then they turned south，and sailedagainst the current for several hundred miles，all the time wondering whence the water came and whither itwent.It was thought by many persons that all the water of the sea was moving；that it reached a hole in the earth and went down，and at some other point，a great distance away，returned again to the surface.
7.Now what is the origin of the Gulf Stream？The trade-winds，always blowing toward the west，blow the surface water in the same direction，and it is to this cause that the movement of the Gulf Stream is due.The water is driven by the wind into the Caribbean Sea，from the western end of which the accumulatedwaterruns into the Gulf of Mexico；and from there it escapes through the Strait of Florida into the Atlantic Ocean.
8.The effect of this current of warm water on the shores of Western Europe may be easily seen by com-paring the climate of places which are in the same latitude on opposite sides of the Atlantic.Thus the town of Bergen and the Shetland Islands are no farther south than Cape Farewell in Greenland and the north of Labrador，where the climate is of an arctic character.
The Gulf of St.Lawrence，which is closed to navigation during the winter by ice，is as far south as the English Channel and the north of France.A line joining placeswhose averagetemperaturefor January is 32°，or theTHE “KURO SIWO.”
1.Those who study geography can hardly fail to notice the remarkable difference between the climate of the eastern or Atlantic coast of British North America and that of the western or Pacific coast in the same latitude.Take，for example，the shores of Newfoundland，Labrador，and Greenland，as com-pared with those of Vancouver Island，Queen Charlotte Islands，and Alaska.On the Atlantic coast are foundicebergs，ice-fields，frozen bays，stuntedshrubs，andonly the most hardy kinds of plants and grasses；while on the Pacific coast are noble forests，luxuriant grasses，and a generally equableclimate through-out the year.
2.Sitka in Alaska is but three degrees farther south than Cape Farewell in Greenland，yet near Sitka there are grand old woods，where firs grow to a great size.The cedars of the Queen Charlotte Islands also attain an enormous size，and from their trunks the Indiansexcavateimmense canoes，often sixty feet in lengthby six or eight in breadth，which are capable of carrying forty or fifty warriors.
3.We are so much accustomed to regard climate as depending merely on distance from the equator that these facts strike us as strange，and require to beexplained.Why does the west coast have so much the milder and better climate？One answer，though not a complete one，as we shall see later，may be given in two words，Kuro Siwo .These two words are from the Japanese language，and signify “Black Stream.”The Kuro Siwo ，so called from the dark tint of its waters，is a branch of the great ocean current which flows north from the equatorial seas，and renders the climate of theJapan islands so equable，and the land so fruitful.A part of this warm stream crosses the Pacific from the coasts of Asia，and，caught in the great bight of the Alaska peninsula and the Aleutian Islands，flows in and out among all those hundreds of islands，from Vancouver to Sitka，and gives to this whole coast its moist，mild winter，just as the Gulf Stream does to the west of Europe.
4.But the Kuro Siwo has not only brought warmth and moisture to the north-west coast；it is now believed thatthe current must also have carried the first human inhabitants to America.Many years ago，the attention of the people of Sitka was attracted one morning to astrange-looking craft，which had come ashore during the night on one of the little rocky wooded islands that lie round the harbour.The stranger was found to be the dismasted，waterlogged hull of a Japanese junk.Strange to say，there were ten or twelve Japanese on board，still alire ，though nearly dead from exposure and famine.
5.The junk had been dismasted in a tempest，while
on a voyage from one Japanese port to another，and had drifted steadily north-eastward in the Kuro Siwo ，which sets constantly and strongly from the coasts of China and Japan across the Pacific toward America.There are also traditions that，on two former occasions，Japanese or Chinese junks have drifted to the coast of America further southward.How many times such accidents may have occurred in the past no one knows.
6.Many people believe that the Indian tribes of North America are of the same race as the early in-habitants of Siberia and Japan.Did the Kuro Siwobring them？The theory that it did，suggestedby theJapanese junk borne to Sitka by the Kuro Siw ，is at least probable.But the fact of the mild climate being caused by this current is clearly proved.
7.In contrasting the climate of Sitka with that of Newfoundland，there is，however，one other currentto be taken into account.This is a cold current which flows through Davis Strait and washes the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland.This polar current is often freighted with ice-floes and icebergs from the Greenland coasts，and huge bergs may be seen carried by it right against the warm surface current.
8.Thus the difference of climate on the east and on the west coast of North America is caused by the action of two opposite forces-the genial warmth of the Kuro Siwo on the one side，and the cold and fogs brought by the polar current on the other.The combined influence of the two currents is so great，that latitude is of little account in determining the temperature of places on either coast.