In order to prove what has been stated, let us take a section of the mid-Atlantic, north and south, across the equator; and, to give the gravitation theory every advantage, let us select that particular section adopted by Dr. Carpenter as the one of all others most favourable to his theory, viz., Section marked No. VIII. in his memoir lately read before the Royal Geographical Society.[98] The fact that the polar cold water comes so near the surface at the equator is regarded by Dr. Carpenter as evidence in favour of the gravitation theory. On first looking at Dr. Carpenter’s section it forcibly struck me that if it was accurately drawn, the ocean to be in equilibrium would require to stand at a higher level in the North Atlantic than at the equator. In order, therefore, to determine whether this is the case or not I asked the hydrographer of the Admiralty to favour me with the temperature soundings indicated in the section, a favour which was most obligingly granted. The following are the temperature soundings at the three stations A, B, and C. The temperature of C are the mean of six soundings taken along near the equator:— +--------+----------------+----------------+----------------------+ | | A | B | C | | | | | | | Depth |Lat. 37° 54′ N. |Lat. 23° 10′ N. | Mean of six | | in |Long. 41° 44′ W.|Long. 38° 42′ W.|temperature soundings | |Fathoms.| | | near equator. | | | | +---------+------------+ | | Temperature. | Temperature. | Depth in|Temperature.| | | | | Fathoms.| | +--------+----------------+----------------+---------+------------+ | | ° | ° | | ° | |Surface.| 70·0 | 72·0 |Surface. | 77·9 | | 100 | 63·5 | 67·0 | 10 | 77·2 | | 200 | 60·6 | 57·6 | 20 | 77·1 | | 300 | 60·0 | 52·5 | 30 | 76·9 | | 400 | 54·8 | 47·7 | 40 | 71·7 | | 500 | 46·7 | 43·7 | 50 | 64·0 | | 600 | 41·6 | 41·7 | 60 | 60·4 | | 700 | 40·6 | 40·6 | 70 | 59·4 | | 800 | 38·1 | 39·4 | 80 | 58·0 | | 900 | 37·8 | 39·2 | 90 | 58·0 | | 1000 | 37·9 | 38·3 | 100 | 55·6 | | 1100 | 37·1 | 38·0 | 150 | 51·0 | | 1200 | 37·1 | 37·6 | 200 | 46·6 | | 1300 | 37·2 | 36·7 | 300 | 42·2 | | 1400 | 37·1 | 36·9 | 400 | 40·3 | | 1500 | ..