■o c e a n . minated moving in the fea,; fome came along-fide o f the ihip-, and
flood on along with her; others moved off from her with a velocity
aTmoft equal to lightning. T h e fhape o f thefe illuminated bodies
difcovered them to be filhes. Some approached near one another,
and when a fmall one came near a larger, it made all poffible hafte
to fly from the danger. I had a bucket full o f this luminous fea-
water drawn up. for examination. W e found, that an infinite
number o f little round luminous bodies were moving in the water
with amazing quicknefs. | After the water had been Handing for a
little while, the fmall Iparkling objefts feemed to decreafe in quantity,
but, by ftirring the water again, we obferved the whole to be
again entirely luminous; and leaving the water undiflurbed, we
faw the little fparks moving very brifkly in different directions.
Though the bucket with the water was fufpended, that it might be
left affeCted by the motion o f the Ihip, the Iparkling objedts Hill
moved to and fro’, fo that this flrft convinced me, that thefe luminous
atoms had a voluntary motion, quite independent o f the agitation
o f the water or Ihip j hut, at each agitation o f the water by
a flick or the hand, we plainly perceived the fparkling to increafe.
Sometimes, by ftirring the water, one o f thefe phofphoreal fparks
would flick to the hand or finger. T h e y were fcarcely o f the
fize o f the fmalleft pin’s head. T h e leaft magnifier o f my micro-
fcope difcovered thefe little atoms to be globular, gelatinous,
tranftranfparent,
and fomewhat brownifh. By putting one under the
microfcope;' we obferved firft a kind o f thin tube going into the
Jubilance o f this little .globule, from a round orifice on its furface.
The infide. was filled with four or five oblong inteftine bags, con-
iriedted with the tube juft mentioned.- Th e fame appearances were
obferved by. the -greateft magnifier, and were'only more diftindt.
I wanted to examine one in the water, and then bring it under the
.microfcope, but I could not provide a live animalcule: they were
all dead, on account o f their tender ftrudture, before I could fepa-
■ rate them from the-finger to which they were flicking. This attempt
was accordingly fruftrated. When we left the Cape o f Good
Hope, on November the 2 zd, we had that very night the fame luminous
appearance o f the fea, and a very hard gale. T h u s we have
again a new eaufe of the phofphoreal light. But, before we proceed
with our, remarks, let us only follow the idea arifing from this
phenomenon. Th e inimenfe ocean, filled w ith myriads o f animalcules,
which have life, loco-motion, and a power, o f filming in the
. dark, o f laying that power afide at .pleafure, and illuminating all
bodies coming in. contadl with .them.; this, is a wonder which fills
the mind with greater aftonifhment and reverential awe, than i t is
in my power juftly and properly ,to. defcribe.
. I f I were now to fay fomething on the different fpecies o f phofphoreal
light, I could by no means .give my affertiori, that degree
K . of
O C E A N .