It is truly astonishing how often merchantmen, entirely forgetful of their own safety, from want of caution, or presumption, or it would occasionally seem, sheerly from acting upon peculiar and abnormal principles of navigation, wantonly expose ship, men, and cargo to many dangers, which might easily be avoided, particularly in cases where no tacking is required, and only a slight touch of the rudder would suffice to prevent a collision, which is always attended with danger to the smaller ship. In this respect the North Americans are very unpleasant neighbours on account of their national vanity, and the Dutch for their phlegmatic temperament and the indifference they evince on such occasions. On the 18th of May, the small rocky island of Alboran, in the narrow part of the sea between Africa and Spain, was observed; being flat and without vegetation, it is scarcely perceptible, and the land-fall during the night should be carefully avoided. The erection of a lighthouse on this island would certainly be regarded as a great boon by all who navigate the Mediterranean. On the 19th of May, the sea suddenly assumed a peculiar orange colour; a dust-like covering was observed on the surface of the water, and at some depth white points might be seen, mingling with each other in the wake of the ship. Clouds of this orange-like matter appeared spread upon the sea, which thereby lost its usual transparency. On closer examination this phenomenon appeared to arise from a mass consisting of myriads of minute animalculæ, which had a yellow opaque kernel, the gelatinous covering of which was transparent and colourless. A quantity of sea-water impregnated with this matter, having been brought into a dark room, gave out a light, and when agitated, such brightness proceeded from it, as justified the anticipation that, during the night, the whole sea would be illuminated. Accordingly the wake of the ship was illuminated by a wonderful stream of light, in the depths of which larger masses of luminous matter could be discerned, whilst on the surface there was a sparkling and glittering, as if all the stars of the firmament were reflected in the water. This phosphorescence of the sea, for the explanation of which we are chiefly indebted to Professor Ehrenberg, proceeds for the most part from the emanations of light from molluscæ of the genus _Medusa_, and other living phosphoric animalculæ; sometimes, however, as for instance in Venice, it arises from the putrescent fibres of decayed molluscæ, and other organisms in a state of decomposition.