Page:In Memoriam. Matthew Fontaine Maury.djvu/15

 Charybdis, falling into a region of calms or those contrary winds from the south-west, now known as Maury's Monsoons. But M discovered that the inshore current of St. Roque was comparatively feeble, and that the winds favored the navigator as he drew in with the land; and so he said, Stand boldly on, and if need be tack and work by under the land.

To Captain J, commanding the W. H. D. C. Wright, of Baltimore, belongs the honor of being the first to beard the lion. Cape St. Roque, and to triumphantly demonstrate the accuracy of the Sailing Directions. Inferences were supplanted by facts. The maritime world hastened to acknowledge the benefit conferred, to contribute aid to the rapid and complete application of M system to all seas. The way was open, and there were thousands to follow.

The Brussels Conference, of which M was the author, provided for co-operation. Its occurrence and its action marked the era of international adoption of his system of observation. Simple as were the means by which these results were obtained, they astonished the world.

He also instituted the System of Deep-Sea Sounding, rendering easy of accomplishment all operations of