The depth of t h e f e a n d thirty-
fiye;>fathoms ; , ‘and from the dilparity óf the . depths, and the ealy
whirlingpf the wateiTin them, the; bottom appears to refemble
the land-,- that Isfeto,eanfift of eminences, and vlalfesl £2
, F oUrtfrly; in the 'rriiddle of ttós- vprtfcfeis. a' , deep pit, which on
its banks jmeafures from fifty to fifty-eight fathpms deep'; but in
its. middleis '’generally not lefs.tHan fixty-oneV This, innermoft
waterjjl^^fltsfinf^epe^^y-^biijalnd^fi^pc^; a
gendecirele, as b.-manifipfr from the foam of the fea; :whiéh') ;Ph
its devolution from the voriex,;moye5 irijaii circle. On the foiithifidê
o f this pit, a ] rock,- ten: fathorn • high,: rifes o u t oP;the, water ; it is
called ,Sumli>Oe-mnnk., and here the: depth of the water is *frut -fifteen
fathoins| ; [North of , this róekdio fbt fliéers,' jbetwi-xt; which*
and the rock, the depth of water is three or foor fathoriis,. And
what is very remarkaMe;'(and which I have' accordingly taken 'fio-
^ g ^ tjf^ ^ ^ e re )..^ n jo n g jth tt; ffieers
in jtfrhjiiatiner o f the vortex, arid is Ipoilt bytthelmiófidö-, Like*?
wile,: at .feme height o n . Sumbbe-munk, there is; .ffrb iffiigularity,
that in the midllof lumriier, and in a ftrong fenffiine,"J:fre people
who gó thiffier tq catch birds,-: can hardly f i ^ d :.jr\ .thejrj^gnbiifi
cad^ffptocold j belides,. the very birds which breed.andliye there*
are lo êxfremely barer of fle£hr that their, wholeihibftanfe.is littlet
more than their feathers ; but of the,caufe of this fipgular cold,
I can only form uncertain conjectures.,! Thg water, about, Ferrop,
however effcntially cold* yet ,by its Mtfipfs and a^tatipn,. ufually
attemperates the winter’s ; feverity in Ferroc-; I cannot therefore
comprehend,’ how the ftêcjnent’a^tatiiBi^pfsjthi^^hejariiÉ'againft
the rock, Ihould by. ah effeCt quite oppofite, o'ocffiqn,:(ueh>öri;iéx-
traordinary cold. It njight, by Way of a.fpindbwfellidii fih# there
being a magnetic power in thefe ffieers,; as the centre of thefe round
ffiallows, there mull; in the other round ffiallows be> a ftrong magnet,
which, befides the fotee of: the current, rapidly draws .large
lhips from their courfe; and if it be granted, that fuch magnets
are there,, then I fubmit it to the judgment of others,-whether the
caufp of this fingular cold is: to be fought for in thefe magnetic
powers.
Fifthly, north ;of the vortex, towards the .Süder idand, there
are other-protuberances in the bottom, agaiaft which the current
2 is
is In like manner ini|>elled^i*and 'the agitation’ attended with a
veiy' d re a 'd fu b r^ ^SA cleSrj idea of what is deferibed in thè
foregoing account* cannOte^b^|>drfe«Stiy cdnveyec&hy a defeription*
TKé judicious reader ;will; readily fePhêéfife, - what'U perilous place
filch ^hfortex muft;boJ^;h‘hard-galhlwwind'|!ahci^a, fulf/ffde' j
fince éven ffia'calm, -\Ui’eri the :dufrent is moft'gentle, and at thé
turn of ther tide,'..which1 is the»'only ..time fifhermen can- vehtüre
out,' the. Boats' are. whirled" round oir thè iffifÉbè’ of it;', 1
. J The whiripopl, hbelow?ltlie; ifle :offiSadd,fhcontinües; circuMtirigl
to itsirinrierriioft ceiattfè,’ andi is of -.ripj gredt;d.epth incthe middle.
The third whirlpool, hetwixt the northward' iflands/I havevifited
twice rrtyfelf; and upon, approaching it, the boat was attracted
towards it;' witlis ffieh£force j * th a t it was w ith, great difficulty the
people prevented the ftream from^getring the better of risjddbour-
ipgJ'at th'e oarsrin one fide, and.Hiring'with them."ómthe other.1
I f a boat'be caught bythuffieariu the -current firfi whirfl it twice,
round,-, and; then twicé round in. a .contrary, dfreótion, U this. alter-,
native ^continuing fotir'or ffive time's ; - from" which The/nitufe of?
the bottom,becomes*eaiily^determinable.5 ?
Thefe abyflesS have? engagedtthe attention’ of many, ingenious?: I
heads, the depth of the'Waters’being fuch; /that no;ohë,-coüM,-1
for a long time, .venture to found theifoottom; fo that thé’general
opinion affihng.the learned Was, thatffiey wete^gulphs; or’abyfles,'
fuch as^CctUfed the ebb and flood. , Among.others, Kircher writes
of the "famous* vortex in Norway; called .Moikoeftrom; that ^ I f Lb. ia. Hy-
a fëa^vört^VattraSirig the flood under ffie'ffióre‘dUNc*Wa^Ê0^
%here, thro another. abyfs,, it is difeharged .iritos' the gulph of;
Bothnia; which opinion is embraced by M. Herbin/in a difler-
tation delivered Kjr Him at Copènhagen, 167W* Büt'"a^ this flp b
nion is only founded in weak reports,' it.is tot^lyteflfiriéóus^'as
will appear from the following arguriients. . Firft/. this Molkoe-
ftrom runs along-the country, betwixt two fhöfèsy or i/lands,’
where the bottom or ground of thê'fèrij'ris fülfof'fe’rriiïiénees, arid
without any pits. OF the like' natrife^alfo èif^alhthdvófticës/both
in Ferroe and in Bothliia... Kireher hkewife-'affirms,' that' many in Tabula
fuch abyffes arë to bé föüridthroughout' the whplë World Ubdt H ^S h f-
always near the’ cohtinêfflf^ or hetwixt fmalf iflands. Süëfr is the .'
frtuatiori óf’Seylla and Charybdisj^in the fea-óf Sicily, the one be-
'.-PArt L Z ' . loW