Chapter XVI: His Posthumous Reputation (1)

Immediately after Maury’s death there was a veritable flood of eulogies of the character and services of the great scientist. They were by no means confined to the colleges, legislators, and newspapers of Virginia; but the scientific journals throughout the world made known in unmistakable terms the high estimation in which he was held. For example, the British journal _Nature_ of March 20, 1873, declared that Maury was the first to show how meteorology could be raised to the dignity of a science, and that he was essentially a practical man in the highest sense of the term. “He will certainly”, it added, “and deservedly, occupy a niche in the temple of fame as a benefactor of humanity and a promoter of scientific knowledge, to which not many men ever attain”. It is difficult to resist the temptation to quote other extracts from the dozens of highly commendatory appraisals of Maury’s achievements and character, which appeared soon after his death. But such is unnecessary, if this biography has with a reasonable degree of success given an understandable account of his work and revealed through the assistance of his letters the sterling character of the man.

After this flood of eulogy had subsided, a period of some fifteen years followed during which Maury’s name was wrapped in comparative forgetfulness. Then, there appeared in 1888 the “Life of Maury” by his daughter Diana Fontaine Maury Corbin, and the reviews of that volume once again brought his name into the literary and scientific journals where the praises of former years were repeated. The _Athenaeum_ of July 21, 1888, after pointing out how Maury’s meteorological work had come to be unduly depreciated, declared, “The work (_Physical Geography of the Sea_) remains one of undoubted genius—great if only for the impulse which it gave to the study of this particular branch of physical geography and for the enormous advance in the science of meteorology which we owe to it”. The _Saturday Review_ of October 20, 1888 said that scientific navigation was almost non-existant before Maury’s work and that he had improved the course of every ship on the sea. It would be tedious to quote further from these reviews, and it will be sufficient to state that they were unanimous in their opinion that Maury deserved high rank among the great scientists of the world because of his pioneer work in the field of oceanography.

In this connection, there is a letter which, because of the fame of its author as well as the pertinence of its contents, is of peculiar interest. Thomas Nelson Page, the distinguished Virginia novelist, wrote to Mrs. Matthew Fontaine Maury,[28] on the receipt of a copy of Mrs. Corbin’s biography of her father, as follows: “Please accept my thanks for the biography of your distinguished husband which will be an addition to our library both on account of its literary merit and of the information it contains of one of our greatest men. I trust you may live to see the services he rendered mankind suitably commemorated by a monument worthy of him. But whether you do or not, the time will assuredly come when he will be recognized by our people as an honor to the race from which he sprang. I esteem it one of my privileges that in my youth I knew personally two such men as General Lee and your honored husband”.

For many years repeated attempts have been made to erect such an adequate monument to Maury as the one mentioned in Page’s letter. Immediately after Maury’s death, at the suggestion of Rear Admiral Marin H. Jansen of Holland, some steps were taken toward the building of a lighthouse on the Rocas Banks near the coast of Brazil, as a fitting memorial to the great oceanographer. But the plan did not succeed, as foreign geographic societies wished the movement to originate in America, and this country, when approached on the matter, was found unsympathetic toward the undertaking. The renewed interest in Maury which was caused by Mrs. Corbin’s biography led to an effort in 1890 to induce Congress to appropriate $20,000 to erect a monument to Maury in Washington; but this attempt was not successful. Then, the Daughters of the American Revolution began a movement, which lasted for about fifteen years, to interest the government in building an appropriate monument in the nature of a lighthouse upon the Rip-Raps in Hampton Roads, off Old Point Comfort, Virginia. A final effort was made to have the memorial built and to arrange for its unveiling during the Jamestown Exposition in 1907; but failure again met all endeavors.

In 1915 it was suggested by the Superintendent of the Naval Observatory that a memorial building in Maury’s honor to accommodate the Hydrographic Office and some of the Observatory activities be erected on the Naval Observatory grounds, but the suggestion brought no tangible results. On May 11 of that year, however, the Matthew Fontaine Maury Association[29] was organized in Richmond, with three specific objects in mind. The first was to have Maury’s name placed in the Hall of Fame of New York University. In this they have not as yet succeeded, but in the election of 1925 Maury’s name came sixth, with fifty-two out of the one hundred votes cast. The two successful candidates, John Paul Jones and Edwin Booth, received sixty-eight and eighty-five votes respectively; while the other three who were ahead of Maury were John Jay with fifty-nine votes, Samuel Adams with fifty-eight, and “Stonewall” Jackson with fifty-three. The second object of the Maury Association was to induce the State Board of Education of Virginia to appoint January 14th—Maury’s birthday—as Maury Day in the schools; this was done June 27, 1916. Their third and most ambitious undertaking was the erection of a bronze statue of Maury in Richmond. In this effort slow but steady progress was made. The Virginia legislature contributed $10,000, and after the close of the World War the United Daughters of the Confederacy gave their support to the raising of funds. The school children of Virginia gave $2000, and many others contributed generously. Accordingly, the sum of $60,000 has now been raised, and the monument will in the near future be put in place at the intersection of Belmont and Monument Avenues in Richmond, where the corner stone was laid with appropriate ceremonies on June 22, 1922. A tentative model of this monument has been made by the sculptor, Mr. F. William Sievers, and approved by the committee in charge of the memorial. For description of this monument please see footnote, end of chapter, page 251.

A long list of minor memorials to Maury have appeared from time to time. One of the oldest is his portrait in fresco on the ceiling of the Library of the State Capitol of Tennessee in Nashville, which was painted in 1857. His name, among six or seven others, adorns the exterior of the building of the Seaman’s Institute, overlooking the Elbe, in Hamburg, Germany; while the University of Virginia has his name inscribed on the frieze of its new Rotunda. There are a number of other memorials in Maury’s native state. In Lexington at the Virginia Military Institute there is a Maury-Brooke Hall in which the physical sciences are taught. In Richmond, the house in which he invented the electric mine has been marked, and in South Richmond a street, a cemetery, and an elementary school all bear his name. Norfolk has a Matthew Fontaine Maury High School; while Fredericksburg has its Maury Hotel, and has marked the house where he resided for several years. In Goshen Pass, a tablet in Maury’s honor was unveiled on June 9, 1923. The bronze tablet is attached to a granite shaft about eight feet tall, at the base of which is to be placed an anchor, weighing 1500 pounds, and 90 feet of chain, of a type used in Maury’s time and donated by the Virginia Pilot Association of Norfolk. This memorial, which was designed and constructed by the sculptor Guiseppe Moretti, was authorized by the Legislature of Virginia. In the state of his adoption, there is only one recent memorial, a tablet in his honor, placed on the walls of the Public School Building in Franklin, Tennessee, by the Old Glory Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

DESTROYER U. S. S. “MAURY,” NAMED IN HONOR OF MAURY]

In the United States Navy there has been considerable recognition of Maury since his death,—particularly in recent years. His name is placed at the top of all the charts issued by the Hydrographic Office, in the following phrase: “Founded upon the researches made and the data collected by Lieutenant M. F. Maury, U. S. Navy”. In 1918 a destroyer in the U. S. Navy was called the _Maury_, and recently the Secretary of the Navy has named the Naval Oceanographic Research in his honor. At the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, the left wing of the Academic Building bears the name of Maury Hall. This was originally the navigation wing of the building, and, according to the Superintendent of the Academy (Captain W. F. Fullam, U. S. Navy, in 1915), it was named by his direction “Maury Hall” because of “Maury’s distinguished and world-wide reputation in connection with meteorology and the study of ocean currents, etc.” In 1919, the United Daughters of the Confederacy established a prize at the Naval Academy, consisting of a pair of marine binoculars, to be known as the “Maury Prize” and to be awarded annually to that midshipman of the First Class who has shown superior excellence in electrical engineering and physics. A portrait of Maury by E. Sophonisba Hergesheimer was presented to the Naval Academy by the Daughters of the Confederacy, Atlanta Chapter, Georgia Division, and unveiled on November 20, 1923.[30]

One of the most recent memorials to Maury is as interesting as it is appropriate. On December 22, 1925, the Martin Vas Isles (Ilhas da Martin Vas) were visited by the Schooner _Blossom_ of the South Atlantic Expedition which was sent out by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for the purpose of collecting specimens from the volcanic islands of the South Atlantic. These islands, individually unnamed and hitherto imperfectly charted, lie about eight hundred miles off the coast of Brazil in the direction of Africa (latitude 20° 31′ S., longitude 28° 51′ W.). Captain George Finlay Simmons of the _Blossom_ and his associates, impressed with the importance of the work done by Maury, decided to give his name to one of the three islands of the group which rises from the ocean like an impressive monument.

All of these memorials, so varied in their nature and so widely distributed, would seem to indicate that Maury’s name is by no means likely to be forgotten. Still, his name and his achievements are not so generally known, even in the United States, as they deserve to be. “For myself”, wrote Julian Street[31] a few years ago, “I must confess that, until I visited Virginia, I was ignorant of the fact that such a person had existed; nor have Northern schoolboys, to whom I have spoken of Maury, so much as heard his name. Yet there is not one living in the United States or in any civilized country, whose daily life is not affected through the scientific researches and attainments of this man”. One is surprised, however, sometimes to find foreign authors more familiar with Maury’s name, and to meet with references to him where one might least expect any knowledge of his scientific work. For example, in Walter de la Mare’s “Memoirs of a Midget” (p. 226), the reader is unexpectedly confronted with this: “I searched Mrs. Bowater’s library for views of the sea, but without much reward. So I read over Mr. Bowater’s Captain Maury—on the winds and monsoons and tide-rips and hurricanes, freshened up my _Robinson Crusoe_, and dreamed of the Angels with the Vials”. Another example, almost equally unexpected is to be found in Vicente Blasco Ibanez’s “Mare Nostrum” (p. 65). “He (Ulysses) had learned English”, writes Ibanez, “the universal language of the blue dominions, and was refreshing himself with a study of Maury’s charts—the sailor’s Bible—the patient work of an obscure genius who first snatched from ocean and atmosphere the secret of their laws”.

In recent scientific works, however, such as “The Depths of the Sea” by Sir John Murray and Dr. Johan Hjort, “Science of the Sea” edited by G. Herbert Fowler, and “Founders of Oceanography” by Sir William A. Herdman one is not surprised to find full justification for referring to Maury as “The Pathfinder of the Seas”, for marine meteorology, they declare, may be said to date from his time. Not only is this title appropriate in that Maury laid out on his charts the best tracks for voyagers to follow on the Seven Seas, but it is also fitting in a figurative sense for he was indeed a pathfinder in the realm of a new science,—the physical geography of the sea. This phrase was, therefore, rightly chosen to be placed on the memorial tablet in Goshen Pass as well as on the one at Franklin, Tennessee, and it is to be prominently inscribed on the monument soon to be erected to him in Richmond. This beautifully poetic title, “The Pathfinder of the Seas”, will be his real monument against which the tooth of time will gnaw in vain, for it will rest solidly based upon his original contributions to the science of the world: “The Physical Geography of the Sea” and the “Wind and Current Charts” with their “Sailing Directions”.

It is not so easy, on the other hand, to describe in a phrase Maury’s personality. Some of those who knew him well thought his most characteristic trait was his modesty; others considered “masculine common sense”, which enabled him to see things in their true light and their real bearing, most fully characterized him; while still another declared that he belonged to that class of men who are _sans peur et sans reproche_. But his character had too many facets for such a simple characterization, and one is forced to turn to a more detailed summary. Perhaps, the most nearly satisfying one of this sort is that written by Francis H. Smith, formerly Professor of Physics at the University of Virginia and one who was well acquainted with Maury and his scientific work.

“Of Maury’s personality”, Professor Smith wrote, “it may be said that no one that had the privilege of meeting him ever forgot the event. He had the winning manner and kindly address which seemed to belong to the men of his race and section. No worthy young fellow ever felt ignored or oppressed in his presence. He wore his honors easily, but while he valued the public tributes he received, he was not fond of displaying the insignia which came with them. He would put on those jewels sometimes in the privacy of home to gratify his children. He loved the little ones, and if to be childlike is to be perfect he was charmingly complete. His conversation was interesting to the thoughtful in the richness of the lessons he drew from common things. He would couple facts, regarded by others as unconnected, and thereby disclose unsuspected relations. It takes genius to make the rejected refuse of one generation the valuable ore of a succeeding one. This detection of a hidden meaning in the simplest matters shows the inexhaustible nature of truth, and is the mark of a superior mind”.[32]

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Permission has been granted to print the
following portion of Miss Virginia Lee Cox’s description of the
Maury Monument soon to be erected in Richmond, Virginia:

“It is a marvelous conception of the man who was admired as the
‘Pathfinder of the Seas,’ and beloved for his humanity. Just how
wonderful it is, is proved in the words of Commodore Maury’s own
daughter, Mrs. James R. Werth, who, when she saw the finished
figure of Mr. Sievers’ skill, said: ‘I feel as if I am sitting in
the presence of my father in flesh, blood, and spirit; I feel as if
I could put my arms around his neck as I did when I was a little
girl.’

“The sculptor has portrayed Maury in a reminiscent attitude,
listening to the voice of the storm. It has been said of him that
the voice of the wind and waves was music to his ears and Mr.
Sievers, with fine sympathy and originality, built on much study of
the man, has succeeded in showing this.

“Above the figure of Maury, which is seated in a great chair,
there is a group of figures which supports the globe. The figures
represent a storm on land and sea. At one corner of the monument is
an ox around which cluster the windswept figures of the farmer and
his household, driven before the fury of the storm.

“At the other corner is an overturned boat and figures of women
and sailors, drenched in the thundering waves of the sea. The
group embraces a symbolization of the world and its natural
elements. Through the allegorization three of Maury’s outstanding
achievements are brought well to the foreground—meteorology,
hydrography, and geography.

“The storm is a meteorological disturbance, and the capsized
lifeboat with its occupants amid the rolling waves is symbolic
of ocean meteorology, a branch of hydrography, symbolized also
in the “paths of the sea” on the globe, that naturally represent
geography.

“On the plinth of the monument in the flattest relief are figures
of fish, representing Maury’s interest in the paths of the sea. The
story goes that once when Maury was ill he had his son read the
Bible to him each night. One night he read the eighth Psalm, and
when he came to the passage—‘The fishes of the sea and whatsoever
walketh through the paths of the sea’—Maury had him read it over
several times. Finally he said, ‘If God says there are paths in the
sea I am going to find them if I get out of this bed.’ Thus the
Psalm was the direct inspiration for his discoveries.

“Mr. Sievers has shown Maury in a reminiscent mood, representing
him at that period of his life when he had achieved his greatest
discoveries. In his right hand are the pencil and the compass,
and in his left hand a chart. Against his chair is the Bible,
from which he drew inspiration for his explorations. The sculptor
has caught amazingly the spirit of the man.”—From Richmond (Va.)
_Times_.

LIST OF LETTERS

(Quoted in full or in part)

Maury to (?), March, 1856, 4

Maury to Sally Fontaine, October 26, 1866, 5

Maury to Frank Minor, October 30, 1859, 5

Maury to Frank Minor, November 5, 1859, 5

Maury to William Hasbrouck, March 13, 1866, 9

Maury to William Hasbrouck, April 14, 1865, 9

Maury to Rutson Maury, August 31, 1840, 12

Maury to N. P. Willis, September 24, 1859, 16

Captain William B. Whiting to Maury’s daughter, May 31, 1873, 23

Maury to Ann Maury, February 25, 1872, 30

Maury to Ann Maury, February 15, 1840, 33

Maury to Secretary of Navy Paulding, March 14, 1840, 33

Maury to S. F. B. Morse, February 23, 1854, 77

Cyrus W. Field to Maury, June 20, 1855, 79

Maury to Dr. Kane, October 7, 1856, 82

Maury to Lord Lyons, April, 1861, 82

Maury to Felix Julien, Imperial French Navy, February 21, 1859, 102

Ripley Ropes to George Manning, December 18, 1856, 103

Maury to Secretary of Navy Dobbin, September 20, 1855, 108

Maury to Bishop Otey, September 20, 1855, 109

Secretary of Navy Dobbin to Maury, November 9, 1855, 110

Matthew Calbraith Perry to Maury, November 12, 1855, 111

James S. Biddle to Maury, November 15, 1855, 112

Maury to Hasbrouck, April 23, 1858, 116

Secretary of Navy Toucey to Maury, January 29, 1858, 117

Maury to Captain A. H. Foote, March 27, 1855, 118

Maury to John A. Bulles, May 20, 1845, 120

Maury to Frank Minor, December 30, 1859, 121

Maury to Governor Packer, Pennsylvania, January 3, 1860, 121

Maury to Rutson Maury, January 24, 1861, 123

Maury to Hasbrouck, March 4, 1861, 124

Maury to Frank Minor, February 16, 1861, 127

Maury to Professor L. F. Kamtz, Russia (undated), 130

Maury to William Blackford, March 12, 1849, 131

Maury to Hasbrouck, November 3, 1852, 131

Maury to Hamilton Lieber, May 30, 1850, 132

Maury to Rear Admiral Fitzroy, England, August, 1861, 143

Maury to Secretary of Navy Welles, April 26, 1861, 143

Maury to Frank Minor, June 11, 1861, 145

Hasbrouck to Maury, June 21, 1861, 147

Maury to Frank Minor, July 19, 1861, 149

Maury to Frank Minor, August 11, 1861, 150

Maury to Frank Minor, August 2 and 19, 1861, 150

Maury to Secretary of Navy Mallory, June 19, 1862, 151

Secretary of Navy Mallory to Davidson, June 20, 1862, 154

Maury MS. Lecture on Torpedoes to Dutch Government
Representatives, July, 1866, 154

Maury to Frank Minor, April 15, 1862, 160

Maury to Frank Minor, June 8, 1862, 160

Maury to Frank Minor, August 19, 1861, 161

Grand Duke Constantine to Maury, July 27, (August 8), 1861, 162

Maury to Grand Duke Constantine, October 29, 1861, 165

Maury to Rutson Maury, September 21, 1863, 166

Maury to Frank Minor, October 24, 1862, 168

Maury to Mrs. M. F. Maury, September 24, 1862, 168

Maury to His Daughter Nannie, April 20, 1863, 173

Maury to His Family, August 29, 1864, 178

Maury to Frank Minor, January 23, 1863, 183

Maury to Brodie Herndon, April 22, 1863, 184

Thomas Bold to Maury, April 26, 1865, 186

Maury to His Wife, October 15, 1865, 187

Maury’s Letter of Surrender, May 25, 1865, 187

Mrs. W. A. Maury to Maury, June 19, 1865, 188

Brodie Herndon to Maury, May 1, 1865, 188

Maury to Tremlett, May 19, 1865, 189

Captain Jansen to Maury, July 22, 1865, 190

General Lee to Maury, September 8, 1865, 191

Maury to His Wife, September 12, 1865, 195

Maury to His Wife, November 27, 1865, 198

Maximilian to Maury, January 29, 1866, 199

Carlotta to Maury, January 29, 1866, 199

Maximilian to Maury, April 19, 1866, 202

Maury to Maximilian, July 1, 1866, 203

Maury to Rutson Maury, July 8, 1866, 205

Maury to (?), August, 1866, 210

Maximilian to Maury, August 16, 1866, 212

Maury to Maximilian, October 11, 1866, 212

Maury to Jansen, July 7, 1867, 215

Maury to Jack (?), July 24, 1867, 215

Rutson Maury to Maury, September 9, 1870, 215

Maury to James Minor, May 10, 1868, 216

William Wright to Maury, August 3, 1869, 216

Maury to Superintendent Francis H. Smith, V. M. I.,
April 21, 1868, 218

Maury to Jansen, July 17, 1868, 220

Maury to Tremlett, June 13, 1869, 221

Maury to Tremlett, March 8, 1869, 222

Maury to Tremlett, December 10, 1871, 227

Maury to Tremlett, February 2, 1872, 227

Maury to Rutson Maury, January, 1870, 229

Rutson Maury to Maury, November 11, 1871, 231

Tremlett to Maury, December 11, 1871, 231

Senator Johnston, Virginia, to Maury, April 25, 1872, 231

Maury to Tremlett, June 13, 1869, 233

E. P. Dorr to Thompson B. Maury, February 25, 1873, 236

M. F. Maury, Junior, to His Sister Nannie, October 15, 1883, 236

M. F. Maury, Junior, to Jansen, September 21, 1873, 241

Thomas Nelson Page to Mrs. M. F. Maury, March 28, 1891, 243

INDEX

Abbé, Cleveland, 236.

Abel, Frederic Augustus, 207.

Adams, John Quincy, 128, 234.

Adams, Samuel, 245.

_Agamemnon_, 79.

Agassiz, Alexander, 128.

_Alabama_, 171, 173, 226.

_Albany_, 67.

Allen, John J., 145.

Amundson, Roald, 82.

_Antarctic_, 62.

Appomattox, 183.

_Arabia_, Cunard Steamer, 170.

_Arctic_, 79.

Arctic and Antarctic Exploration, 81–83.

Arman, L., 174.

Ashburton, Lord (Alexander Baring), 128.

Atlantic Cable, 76, 77, 104, 212.

_Atrato_, Royal Mail Steamer, 183.

Bache, Professor Alexander D., 80.

Bacon, Francis, 131.

Badger, Secretary of Navy, George E., 41.

Bailey, Professor J. W., 76.

Barron, Commodore James, 133.

Barron, Captain Samuel, 171.

Bazaine, General F. A., 214.

Beauregard, General Pierre G. T., 126, 209.

Bell, Senator John, 113.

“Ben Bow” Articles in Richmond _Enquirer_, 155–158, 162.

Benjamin, Senator Judah P., 114.

Berryman, Lieutenant O. H., 67, 76, 79.

Biddle, E. C. and J., Publishers, 27, 67, 68.

Biddle, Commodore James, 52.

Biddle, Lieutenant James S., 108, 111.

Bigelow, Abraham, 108.

Blackburn, the Reverend Doctor, 4, 5.

_Blossom_, Schooner, 248.

Bolivar, Simon, 14.

Booth, Edwin, 245.

Bowditch, Nathaniel, 22, 27, 37.

_Brandywine_, U. S. Frigate, 9, 10, 12, 13.

Brooke, John Mercer, 76, 229, 246.

Brown, John, 121.

Brussels Conference, 57, 58, 85, 229, 230, 232.

Buchan, Alexander, 232.

Buchanan, Admiral Franklin, 108, 146.

Buckingham, Duke of, 185.

Bulloch, James T., 170, 174, 177, 186, 187, 188.

Bureau of Coast, Harbor, and River Defense, 148.

Busey, N. H., 247.

Byrd, Commander Richard Evelyn, 82.

Byron, Lord George Gordan, 131.

Calhoun, John C., 128.

Cambridge LL.D., 215–217.

Carlotta, Empress of Mexico, 190, 195, 197, 199, 200, 203, 213–216.

Carpenter, W. B., 75.

Carter, W. F., 153.

Champlain, Battle of Lake, 7.

Charles II, 2.

Children, Maury’s (Pet Names), 139, 141.

Clayton, Senator J. M., 114.

Coffin, Professor John H. C., 47.

Collingwood, Admiral Cuthbert, 133.

Colt, Colonel Samuel, 154.

Columbia University, 64.

_Columbus_, 52.

_Congress_, 18.

_Consort_, 29, 32.

Constantine, Grand Duke of Russia, 128, 162, 164, 166, 180, 209.

Corbin, Mrs. Diana Fontaine (Maury), 136, 141, 147, 185, 203,
242–244.

Cox, Virginia Lee, 251.

Coxetter, Captain Louis M., 168.

Craven, Captain T. T., 172.

Cuba, 162, 183, 186, 187, 189, 193, 199.

_Cumberland_, 148.

_Cyclops_, 78.

Dahlgren, John A., 128.

Dante, Alighieri, 131.

Davidson, Lieutenant Hunter, 153–155.

Davis, Jefferson, 114, 124, 126, 128, 146, 154, 160, 162, 165, 175,
179, 189, 215, 219.

Davy, Marie, 232.

Dayman, Lieutenant (Royal Navy), 78.

Decatur, Stephen, 133.

Decorations, Degrees, etc., 63–65, 112, 162, 163, 215–217.

De Haven, Edward J., 81, 82.

De la Mare, Walter, 249.

De Le Marche, Captain, 165.

_Delta_, Royal Mail Steamer, 169.

Dickerson, Secretary of Navy, Mahlon, 27, 29, 30, 33.

Dobbin, Secretary of Navy, J. C., 114.

_Dolphin_, 24, 67, 76.

Dorr, E. P., 236.

Downes, John, 24.

Du Pont, Samuel F., 108.

Edgeworth, Maria, 141.

Elder, John A., 247.

Electric Torpedoes (Mines), 148–155, 178–183, 204–208.

_Elizabeth_, 190.

_Engineer_, 31.

_Essex_, 7, 16.

_Experiment_, 31.

_Falmouth_, 23, 24, 51.

Faraday, Professor Michael, 80, 128.

Farleyvale, 142, 147.

Farragut, Admiral David Glasgow, 11, 18, 178.

Field, Cyrus W., 78, 79, 128, 212.

Finch (Bolton), William Compton, 14, 15, 17, 18.

Fitzroy, Robert, 229.

_Flying Cloud_, 60.

_Flying Fish_, 61.

Fontaine, Sally, 141.

Foote, Andrew H., 108.

Forbes, R. B., 83.

Fowler, G. Herbert, 249.

Francia, Dr. José G. R., 120.

Franklin, Tennessee, 3, 4, 9, 31, 246, 249.

Franklin, Sir John, 81.

Fraser, Trenholm and Company, 170.

Fredericksburg, 2, 9, 26, 28, 31, 32, 41, 126, 146, 150, 164, 167,
196, 227, 246.

Fullam, W. F., 247.

Fulton, Robert, 154.

Gentry, Susie, 248.

Geography Series, 210–211, 222–225, 237.

Georgetown College, 94.

_Georgia_, 171, 172.

Gibraltar, 12.

Gilliss, John P., 44, 45, 81.

Gladstone, William Ewart, 175.

Glynn, James, 29, 31.

Godon, Sylvanus W., 108.

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 131.

Goldsborough, Lewis M., 44.

Goshen Pass, 240, 241, 246, 249.

Graham, Secretary of Navy, William A., 56, 64, 114, 116.

Gregory, Captain Francis H., 30.

Gunboats, Construction of, 158–160.

Hall of Fame, 245.

Hamburg, Germany, 246, 247.

Harlan, Senator James, 87.

Harper and Brothers, 68, 102.

Harpeth Academy, 4, 7.

Harris, Isham G., 198.

Harrison, Thomas, 127.

Hasbrouck, William C., 5, 7, 68, 123, 147.

Hassler, F. R., 31.

Hawaii, 17.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 128.

Haymond, Thomas S., 145.

Hemans, Felicia D., 132.

Henry, Professor Joseph, 89.

_Herald_, 168, 169.

Herdman, Sir William A., 75, 249.

Hergesheimer, E. Sophonisba, 247.

Herndon, Ann Hull (See _Maury, Mrs. M. F._).

Herndon, Dr. Brodie, 188, 237.

Herndon, Edward, 8.

Herndon, Ellen, 59.

Herndon, William Lewis, 82, 119.

Herschel, Sir John, 74, 75.

Hindman, General Thomas C., 197.

Hjort, Johan, 249.

Hollywood Cemetery, 241.

Holmes, Nathaniel J., 183, 204, 205.

Honolulu, 17.

Houston, Samuel, 7, 128.

Hubbard, Professor J. S., 47, 48.

Humboldt, Baron F. H. Alexander von, 59, 65, 68, 78, 128.

Ibanez, Vicente Blasco, 248.

_Immortality_, H. M. S., 170.

“Inca Papers” on the Amazon, 119–120.

_Investigator_, H. M. S., 82.

Irving, Washington, 18.

Irving, Midshipman William, 18.

Jackson, Andrew, 27, 29.

Jackson, “Stonewall”, 240, 245.

Jansen, Marin H., 128, 138, 181, 189, 190, 203, 208, 209, 232, 237,
244.

_Japan_, 171.

Jay, John, 245.

_John Gilpin_, 61.

Johnston, Senator John Warfield, 231.

Jomard, E. F., 74, 128.

Jones, John Paul, 245.

Jones, Thomas Ap Catesby, 29, 30, 41.

Juarez, Benito P., 214.

Kamehameha III, 17.

Kane, Dr. Elisha K., 82, 128.

Kearny, Captain Lawrence, 30.

Keith, Professor Ruel, 47.

Kennedy, Secretary of Navy, John P., 114.

Kennon, Beverly, 155.

_Kilby_, 62.

Lafayette, Marquis de, 10–12, 27.

Laird, John, 171, 209.

Lalande, Joseph de, 48, 49.

Land Meteorology, 85–89, 229–237.

Lee, General Robert Edward, 144, 146, 183, 187, 188, 191–193, 220,
239, 244.

Lee, S. P., 67.

Letcher, Governor John, 145, 150, 158, 159, 161, 220, 227.

Leverrier, W. J. J., 48, 128.

Lexington, Virginia, 220, 221, 227, 228, 239–241, 246.

Lieber, Hamilton, 132.

Liebig, Justus von, 128.

Lincoln, Abraham, 123, 125, 126, 157, 183.

Locke, John, 46.

Lomax, Judge John T., 41.

Longfellow, H. W., 216.

Lopez, Colonel Miguel, 214.

Lowell Institute, 103.

Lynch, William Francis, 81, 82.

Macdonough, Thomas, 7.

_Macedonian_, 13, 29.

Magruder, General John B., 197.

Mallory, Stephen R., 113–115, 146, 150, 160–162, 166, 174, 179, 215.

Manassas, Battle of, 161.

Manila, 18.

Manning, George, 68.

“Mare Nostrum”, 248.

Margolle, M., 232.

Markham, Clements, 200.

Marquesas Islands, 14.

Maupin (Mauphin?), Dr. Socrates, 153.

_Maury_, U. S. S. Destroyer, 247.

“Maury Testimonial”, 208, 209.

Maury, Abram, 2, 7.

Maury, Betty (Mrs. W. A. Maury), 139, 141, 146.

Maury, General Dabney H., 67, 90, 183.

Maury, Diana Fontaine (See “Corbin, Mrs. Diana Fontaine”).

Maury, Eliza, 141, 203.

Maury, Ellen, 59.

Maury, John Herndon, 132, 141, 183, 184.

Maury, John Minor, 7, 16, 26.

Maury, Lucy, 141, 185, 203, 215.

Maury, Mary (Mrs. James R. Werth), 126, 141, 203, 215, 247, 251.

Maury, Mrs. Matthew Fontaine, 9, 22, 26, 123, 126, 140, 142, 146,
163, 185, 191, 195, 196, 198, 200, 202, 203, 215, 237, 239, 243.

Maury, Matthew Fontaine, his birth, 2;
elementary education, 4–6;
entrance to the Navy, 7–9;
his first three cruises, 10–24;
his “A New Theoretical and Practical Treatise on Navigation”,
27–28;
promoted Lieutenant, 29;
South Sea Exploring Expedition, 29–30;
surveying Southern harbors, 31;
injury to his leg, 32;
“Scraps from the Lucky Bag”, 33–40, 43, 155;
journalistic work, 41–43;
astronomical work, 44–50;
“Wind and Current Charts”, 51–63, 83, 144, 249;
honors, 63–65, 112, 162, 163;
“Physical Geography of the Sea”, 66–75, 84, 102, 124, 243, 249,
250;
Atlantic Telegraph Cable, 75–80, 211–213;
interest in Arctic and Antarctic exploration, 81–83;
ocean lanes for steamers, 83;
land meteorology, 85–89, 229–237;
transportation routes, 90–93;
lectures and addresses, 93–106;
“Retiring Board”, 107–117, 146;
promoted Commander, 117;
“Inca Papers” on the Amazon, 119–120;
mediation between North and South, 120–125;
his resignation from the U. S. Navy, 126, 127, 143;
his character, 129, 130, 250, 251;
ideas about education, 131–134, 140, 141;
Maury and his family, 134–142;
his appearance, 135;
assistance in the defense of Virginia, 145–147;
a Commander in the Virginia State Navy and also a Commander in the
Navy of the Confederacy, 145;
as Chief of Bureau of Coast, Harbor, and River Defense invents
torpedoes (or mines), 148–155;
“Ben Bow” articles in the Richmond _Enquirer_, 155–158, 162;
construction of gunboats, 158–160;
invited to Russia, 162–165;
invited to France, 166, 204, 205;
ordered to England, 166–170;
fitting out _Georgia_ and _Rappahannock_, 171–174;
as a propagandist for the Confederacy, 174–176;
international political intrigues, 176–177;
experiments with electric mines, 178–183;
leaves England, 183–188;
goes to Mexico, 189–192;
Mexican colonization scheme, 189, 193–201, 202, 203, 213;
in England again, 202;
his “Torpedo School”, 204–208;
“Maury Testimonial”, 208–209;
his Geography Series, 210–211, 222–225, 237;
enters the Church, 215;
Cambridge University confers on him the LL.D., 215–217;
his return to the United States, 218–220;
“Physical Survey of Virginia”, 219, 221, 222, 227, 233;
Maury at Virginia Military Institute, 220–239;
last illness and death, 237–239;
his burial in Hollywood Cemetery, 240–241;
estimates of his work, 242–244, 248–251;
monuments and other memorials, 149, 244–248.

Maury, Matthew Fontaine, Junior (“Brave”), 141, 167–169, 171, 185,
186, 203, 215, 222, 236, 241.

Maury, Mytton, 222.

Maury, Reuben, 8.

Maury, Richard (father of Matthew Fontaine Maury), 2.

Maury, Richard (brother to Matthew Fontaine Maury), 8.

Maury, Richard Launcelot, 132, 141, 147, 167, 187, 196, 198, 201,
210, 239.

Maury, Robert H., 149.

Maury, Rutson, 147, 215, 224, 231.

Maury, Thompson B., 236.

Maury, William L., 108, 153, 171, 172.

Maximilian, Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria, and Emperor of Mexico,
128, 177, 189–191, 193, 195–204, 212, 213, 215.

McCauley, Charles S., 108.

McClure, Commander (Royal Navy), 82.

McGuire, Parson E. C., 26.

McKay, Donald, 128.

McRay, Archibald, 81.

Mejía, General Tomás, 214.

_Merrimac_ (C. S. S. _Virginia_), 159.

_Minnesota_, 148, 151, 158.

Minor, Diana, 2.

Minor, Dudas, 2.

Minor, John, 146.

Minor, Robert D., 151.

Miramón, General Miguel, 214.

Missroon, John S., 108, 115.

Mobile Bay, Battle of, 178.

Moffitt, Mrs. E. E., 245.

_Mohican_, 169, 170.

Monroe, President James, 241.

Montague, R. L., 145.

Monuments and memorials, 149, 244–248, 250.

Mordecai, Major Alfred, 197.

Moretti, Giuseppe, 246.

Morgan, James Morris, 168, 170.

Morris, Captain Charles, 10, 18.

Morris, Dr., 151, 153.

Morse, Professor S. F. B., 80, 128.

Müller, Max, 216.

Murray, John, 249.

Myer, General Albert James, 229, 235–237.

Nabuco, Joaquim, 120.

Napoleon I, 18.

Napoleon III, 65, 166, 174, 175, 177, 204, 214, 215.

Nashville, Tennessee, 3, 105, 123, 246.

Navigation, Maury’s “A New Theoretical and Practical Treatise on
Navigation”, 27, 28.

Newton, Isaac, 131.

_Niagara_, 79, 172.

Norfolk, Virginia, 7, 13, 29, 31, 41, 91, 93, 148, 151, 159, 161,
221, 234, 235, 246.

Nukahiva, 14–16.

Ocean Lanes for steamers, 83.

Orr, Colonel James L., 165.

Otey, Bishop James, 4, 96, 128.

Packer, Governor William F., 121.

Page, Richard L., 81, 108.

Page, Thomas Nelson, 243, 244.

Pakington, Sir John, 209.

Pasteur, Louis, 165.

Paulding, Secretary of Navy, James K., 33.

_Peacock_, 30.

Pendergrast, G. J., 108.

Pendleton, William (D.D.), 239.

Perkins, Judge John, 198.

Perry, Matthew Calbraith, 30, 81, 108, 109, 111, 128.

“Physical Geography of the Sea”, 66–75, 84, 102, 124, 243, 249, 250.

“Physical Survey of Virginia”, 219, 221, 222, 227, 233.

_Pioneer_, 229.

Plato, 131.

Platt, Captain Charles T., 67.

Plutarch, 131.

Poe, Edgar Allan, 28.

Poinsett, Secretary of War, Joel R., 30.

Polk, Bishop Leonidas, 128, 151.

Pollard, Edward Albert, 160.

Poma, Manuela, 24, 25.

Pope Pius IX, 59, 65, 214.

Porter, David, 7, 16.

_Potomac_, 25, 26.

Preston, Margaret J., 240.

Price, Governor Stirling, 198.

Priestly, Joseph, 205.

Pynes, the Reverend Doctor, 140.

Quetelet, Jacques Adolphe Lambert, 57, 58, 232.

Quintard, Bishop Charles Todd, 215.

Rains, General Gabriel J., 155.

_Rappahannock_, 172, 173.

_Raven_, 60.

“Retiring Board”, 107–117.

Reynolds, Governor Thomas C., 197.

Richardson and Company, 210, 224, 225.

Richmond, Virginia, 40, 93, 143, 145, 147–151, 155, 159, 161, 162,
166, 178, 183, 187, 220, 221, 227, 240, 241, 245, 246, 250.

Richmond Medical College, 149.

Ringgold, Cadwalader, 81.

_Roanoke_, 148.

“Robinson Crusoe”, 249.

Rodgers, John, 12.

Rodgers, John, Junior, 81.

Rollins, R., 153.

Sampson Low, Son and Company, 68.

Sandwich Islands, 17.

_San Francisco_, 62.

_San Jacinto_, 170.

_Savannah_, 151.

Scharf’s “History of the Confederate States Navy”, 155.

Scott, Sir Walter, 132.

Scott, General Winfield, 110.

“Scraps from the Lucky Bag”, 33–40, 43, 155.

_Sea Witch_, 60.

Secchi, Father Angelo, 232.

Semmes, Raphael, 226.

Seneca, 131.

Shakespeare, William, 132.

Shelby, General Joseph O., 197, 198.

Sheridan, General Philip H., 199.

Shubrick, Captain William B., 30, 108.

Sievers, F. William, 245, 251, 252.

Silliman, Professor Benjamin, 128.

Simmons, George Finlay, 248.

Simonds, Frederic William, 224.

Sims, William Gilmore, 128.

Slaughter, General James H., 197.

Slidell, John, 177.

Smith, Superintendent Francis H., 145, 220, 241.

Smith, Professor Francis H., 250.

Smith, General Kirby, 197.

Socrates, 126.

South Sea Exploring Expedition, 29–30.

Soulé, Pierre, 197.

_Star of the West_, 125.

Stephens, Alexander H., 124.

Stevenson, Sara Y., 197.

Stewart, Chaplain C. S., 15, 17, 18.

St. John’s College, 225.

Stockton, Commodore Robert F., 124.

Stoeckle, Baron, 164.

Strain, Isaac G., 81.

Street, Julian, 248.

Stribling, C. K., 108.

Tahiti, 17.

Talbot and Son’s Iron Works, 149.

_Taney_, 67.

_Teaser_, 153, 154.

Terrell, General James B., 197, 199.

Thomson, C. Wyville, 74, 75.

Thomson, William (Lord Kelvin), 80.

_Three Bells_, 62.

Toucey, Secretary of Navy, J., 117.

Toynbee, Captain Henry, 229.

_Trade Wind_, 61.

Tredegar Iron Works, 149.

Tremlett, the Reverend Doctor F. W., 176, 185, 189, 208, 209, 216,
231, 233, 237.

“Trent Affair”, 170.

Tyler, President John, 40, 128, 241.

Tyndall, Professor John, 209.

_Typhoon_, 60.

U. S. Naval Academy, 38, 132, 247.

University of Alabama, 225–227.

University of North Carolina, 64.

University of the South, 95, 123, 215, 218.

University of Virginia, 94, 132, 153, 218, 246, 250.

University Publishing Company, 222.

Upshur, Secretary of Navy, A. P., 44, 52.

Valentine, Edward V., 135, 247.

Valparaiso, 7, 14, 19, 23, 25, 104.

_Victor_, 172.

_Vincennes_, 14, 15, 17, 18, 30.

_Virginia_, C. S. S., 159.

Virginia Military Institute, 132, 159, 218, 220–222, 227, 228, 239,
241, 246.

Walker, General John G., 197.

Walker, Sears Cook, 48.

Walsh, Lieutenant J. C., 67.

Washington, George, 12, 44.

Washington and Lee University, 222, 239.

Welles, Secretary of Navy, Gideon, 143.

West Point, 37, 38, 131.

_W. H. D. C. Wright_, 54.

Wheatstone, Sir Charles, 206.

White, Editor Thomas W., 41.

Whiting, William B., 23, 25, 143.

Whitthorne, W. C., 105.

Wilcox, General C. M., 197.

_Wild Pigeon_, 61.

Wilkes, Charles, 30, 31, 33, 44, 81, 169.

Willis, Nathaniel Parker, 128, 129.

“Wind and Current Charts”, 51–63, 83, 144, 249.

Wordsworth, William, 132.

Wright, William, 216.

Wrottesley, Lord John, 59, 68, 128.

Wurttemberg, King of, 205, 208.

Yancey, Robert L., 123.

Yorktown, Battle of, 11.

Zurcher, M., 232.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | FOOTNOTES: | | | | [1] “Scraps from a Lucky Bag” in _Southern Literary Messenger_, | | May, 1840. | | | | [2] _Ibid._, December, 1840. | | | | [3] From “The National Observatory” read by Maury before the | | Virginia Historical Society. It was copied from _The Historical | | Register_ in the _Southern Literary Messenger_ of May, 1849. | | | | [4] From “Introduction”, p. xiii, to Maury’s _Physical Geography | | of the Sea_, 1855. | | | | [5] “Physical Geography of the Sea”, 1855, p. 263. | | | | [6] “Sailing Directions”, sixth edition (1854), pp. 725–730. | | | | [7] “Founders of Oceanography”, p. 175. | | | | [8] From “Chapter 1, The Air” by Hugh Robert Mill and D. Wilson | | Barker in _Science of the Sea_, edited by G. Herbert Fowler for | | the Challenger Society, 1912, p. 3. | | | | [9] There is a tradition that Field said in this speech: “I am a | | man of few words: Maury furnished the brains, England gave the | | money, and I did the work.” But diligent search has failed to | | discover any authority for the statement. | | | | [10] _Um Estadista do Imperio_ (Paris, 1897), III, 12. | | | | [11] In the _Home Journal_ of New York, September, 1859. | | | | [12] _The Life of Maury_ by Diana Fontaine Maury Corbin, pp. 147, | | 148. | | | | [13] _Ibid._, pp. 149–154. Maury’s children were Betty, Diana | | Fontaine, Richard Launcelot, John Herndon, Mary, Eliza, Matthew | | Fontaine, Jr., and Lucy. | | | | [14] Maury had some connection with the reconstruction of this | | vessel. In a lecture on “Man’s Power-giving Knowledge”, delivered | | by him to Virginia Military Institute students on January 23, | | 1871, he said, “After the burning of the Norfolk Navy Yard in | | 1861, the Governor’s Council advised that the _Merrimac_ should | | be raised and converted into an ironclad. Quick to perceive and | | prompt to act, as in the emergencies of the war he ever was, his | | Excellency caused it to be done”. This is corroborated by the | | following entry in the minutes of the Council for May 11, 1861, | | for a meeting at which Maury was present: “Governor submitted for | | approval a proposal of B. and I. Baker of Norfolk to raise the | | wreck of the steamer _Merrimac_ and deliver her in the Dry Dock | | at Gosport Navy Yard for $5000.... Advised unanimously that the | | proposed be accepted”. | | | | [15] “The Lost Cause” by Edward A. Pollard, p. 192. | | | | [16] “Recollections of a Rebel Reefer”, p. 100. | | | | [17] “History of the United States from the Compromise of 1850” | | by James Ford Rhodes, IV, 339. | | | | [18] “The Secret Service of the Confederate States in Europe”, | | James D. Bulloch, II, 62–63. | | | | [19] Of this son Maury wrote in the family Bible: “Our noble | | son, John Herndon, went out from Vicksburg, Miss., alive, on | | the 27th day of January, 1863, to reconnoiter the enemy. A few | | hours afterwards his horse was seen without a rider, but nothing | | was ever heard of him. From the footprints and other signs and | | marks on the levee, it is supposed that he was surprised by a | | scouting-party of the enemy in ambush within our lines and done | | to death. Comely in person, lovely in disposition, generous and | | brave, he loved right and hated wrong. Precious in the eyes of | | his parents, he was very dear to our hearts”. | | | | [20] “The Secret Service of the Confederate States in Europe” by | | James D. Bulloch, II, 415. | | | | [21] “Maximilian in Mexico” by Sara Y. Stevenson, p. 174. | | | | [22] In 1888 Norway, through Rear Admiral Neils Ihlen, Royal | | Norwegian Navy, sent to Maury’s children the sum of $2180.74 | | which had been intended to be applied to the Testimonial Fund. | | | | [23] The last letter that Maury received from the unfortunate | | Empress enclosed photographs of herself and Maximilian. After | | becoming insane, she was taken to the Château de Bouchout in | | Brabant, Belgium, where she continued to write pathetic love | | letters to her “dearest Maximilian”, whom she did not realize to | | have been dead. Death came to her at the age of eighty-six, on | | January 19, 1927. During the World War, a heavy guard was placed | | around her villa by order of the Kaiser and this placard set | | up: “This villa is the property of Her Majesty the Empress of | | Mexico, sister of His Majesty Francis Joseph, Kaiser of Austria. | | Disturbances in the neighborhood will be punished with the utmost | | severity”. | | | | [24] It has often been stated that the poet Tennyson received | | the LL.D. from Cambridge at this same time. This is incorrect. | | A letter of May 12, 1926, from the Registrary of Cambridge | | University states that on May 28, 1868, the “Degree of LL.D. | | _honoris causa_ was conferred upon: Frederick Max Müller, | | Professor of Comparative Philology, Oxford; William Wright, | | Assistant in the Department of MSS., British Museum; and Matthew | | Fontaine Maury of Virginia”. | | | | [25] In 1912 it was revised as “Maury’s New Complete Geography” | | and copyrighted by the American Book Company, and is still on the | | market. | | | | [26] This was the name given to Washington College in 1871 after | | the death of General Lee on October 12, 1870. | | | | [27] The opening stanzas of “Through the Pass” by Margaret J. | | Preston. | | | | [28] Mrs. Maury survived her husband until the year 1901. | | | | [29] Great praise is due Mrs. E. E. Moffitt for founding this | | Maury Association, and successfully raising the money necessary | | to build the monument to Maury in Richmond. | | | | [30] Of the numerous portraits of Maury, those deserving special | | mention are in Richmond. There is one by N. H. Busey in the | | Westmoreland Club of that city, another by John A. Elder in the | | Virginia State Library, and a third of some merit in Battle | | Abbey, Richmond. In the State Library is also a cast of the fine | | bust of Maury made by Edward V. Valentine of Richmond in 1869, | | which is considered by Mrs. Werth to be a very excellent likeness | | of her father. There is a statue of Maury over the main entrance | | to the Meteorological Station of the German Admiralty in Hamburg, | | Germany. Recently, the M. F. Maury Chapter of the Children of the | | American Revolution has been organized at Franklin, Tennessee by | | Miss Susie Gentry. | | | | [31] In “American Adventures” (1917), pp. 140–145. | | | | [32] From “Library of Southern Literature”, VIII, 3440. | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+

PILOT CHART
OF THE
NORTH ATLANTIC

M. F. Maury. L.L.D. Lieut. U.S. Navy.

National Observatory, Washington

1853.

_New Edition corrected 1857._

SHEET NO. 2.

_SERIES C._

EXPLANATION.

_The object of this chart is to show the relative number of times in every 5° square of the ocean that the wind blows from the several points of the compass for each month. As an example, take the square between 5° & 10° N. and 20° & 25° W. The figures in the N.E. corner of the circumscribed square show that in this square, there have been examined 294 records of the winds in Dec; 212 in Jan; & 161 in Feb; and the numbers 33, 18, 8, in the N.E. quadrant of the inner circle, show that it was calm 33 times in_ addition _to the 294 winds in Dec; 13 times in Jan; and 8 times in Feb._

_These are the_ winter _months; and the number of times that the wind has been found to blow from the several points of the compass, in the winter months, is entered in the space between the two_ outer _circles. The radii show the points of the compass; the figures between the radii show the number of times, for each month, the wind has been timed to prevail from such points for as much as eight hours together. Thus, between the two heavily drawn radii opening to the North, the winds from N. by W. to N. by E. are entered as North winds. Between the right hand line of these two and the broken radius to the right of that again, the winds between N. by E. & N.E. by N. are entered as winds from N.N.E. Between this broken radius and the next one on the right are the winds from N.E. and so on, with the sun, around the sixteen points of the compass. All the winds between N. by W. and N. by E. are called North winds; those between E. by N. and E. by S. are entered as from E. & so on._

_Referring again to the same square, and to the two heavily drawn radii opening to the North, the numbers 20, 8, 16, between the two outer circles, mean, that 20 of the 294 winds in Dec, 8 of the 217 in Jan, and 16 of the 161 in Feb. were North. In Dec, the winds blew also 36 times from N.N.E; 37, N.E; 51, E.N.E; 60, E; 21, E.S.E; 17, S.E; 10, S.S.E; 6, S; and so on._

_Proceeding towards the centre, the next inter-circular space contains the winds, according to their direction, for the three spring months. The figures in the S.E. corner of the circumscribed square show the total number of winds recorded for each month, as 159 for March; 227 for April, and 301 for May, exclusive of 4, 5, 12, calms in the S.E. quadrant for the same months, and so on, around with the sun, for calms and number of winds, in the order of the months; beginning with the first number in the N.E. corner and quadrant, as the total winds and calms for December, the 2ⁿᵈ numbers for January and so on._

_The third space between the circles contains the winds for the three summer months in the same order, June, July and August, between the radii. The space between the two inner circles is for Autumn; the outer round of figures being the winds for Sept, and the inner for Nov. Diagram A is referred to for further explanation. In it the months are written instead of the number of winds and calms for each month and point of compass._

_The method, in which the number and direction of the winds have been ascertained, is this: As many logs as could be obtained have been examined; the 24 hours have been divided into three parts of eight hours each; and, according to the square in which the vessel was, the_ prevailing direction _of the wind for every eight hours has been entered as one wind_.

_Thus, in the square between 5° & 10° N. and 15° & 20° W. we see, in the S.W. corner 916 winds, and in the S.W. quadrant, 15 calms. These are the total number of intervals of eight hours each for which the winds and calms for August have been examined in this 5° square of the ocean. Consequently, all the vessels passing through this square in the month of August were in it, 310⅓ days. Compare the totals for August in the adjacent squares, with this 916 and reasons will appear for the conclusion that the winds here in August, are particularly light and battling, and that the vessels were detained so long in this square on that account._

_The blank spaces, or the spaces that are filled up in some of the squares and circles and not in others, mean that no winds have been reported in the logs from these points of the compass, or that no calms prevailing for eight hours together, have been reported during those months._

_Diagram B is for the convenience of the navigator. Make a fac simile and cut out the black part. Now to ascertain the chances for head and fair winds in any part of the ocean, lay this card over the circles in the square in which the vessel may be, with the white pointer mid-way between the two radii that represent the course to be sailed. The winds that can be counted for the month, in the segment that has been cut from the card, will show the chances for head winds; and this number, subtracted from the total for the month, will show the chances for fair winds. Calms speak for themselves._

_Navigators using this chart, either to lay off their best rout for the month, or to decide upon which tack to go, when the winds come out ahead, will know what difference to make between the chances for winds that will enable them to lay within 4 points of their course, and the chances for winds that will enable them to lay within two points of their course. In sailing 10 miles, a ship, within six points of her course, makes but 3.8 good. Within 4 points and 10 miles, she makes 7.1 good, and within 2 points, she makes good 9.2 miles out of ten._

[Signature: _M. F. Maury. Lt. U.S.A._]

_National Observatory,
Washington, May 1858._

PILOT CHART OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

The following is a summary of information contained on this chart, and in order that certain items may be more readily identified, they have been numbered and a duplicate number inclosed in a circle placed on the chart as close to the item or feature as practicable:

FRONT