F. GEOGKAPHY. 203 



species of Octopus, or cuttle-fish, found at a depth of 60 to 

 120 fathoms, in the Bay of Fund y. 



Of algas about sixty-five species were enumerated, several 

 of them entirely new to our coast. 



A branch of the party was located for a time at Cape Por- 

 poise, on the coast of Maine, and then changed their seat of 

 operations to Grand Manan. This consisted of Professor H. 

 E. Webster, of Union College, Schenectady, assisted by Mr. 

 Charles Pond, and numerous and valuable collections were 

 made by them. 



The exploration of the Georges Banks was one of very 

 great interest and importance, and the results accomplished 

 would have been much larger had the steamer been able to 

 give a greater number of days to the work. They succeed- 

 ed in obtaining one cast of the dredge in 430 fathoms a 

 deeper water than had ever been reached on our coast north 

 of Florida. This was in north latitude 41 25', west longi- 

 tude 65 42'. The temperature of the air at the time was 

 66, of the surface of the water 65, of the bottom 51. In 

 this last case the temperatures were considerably higher 

 than those observed in the Bay of Fundy, where the surface 

 was 48, and the bottom, about 100 fathoms, was 37^-. Off 

 Cape Sable, at a depth of forty-five fathoms, the bottom tem- 

 perature was about 35, and that of the surface 56. 



Very interesting collections were also made on this expe- 

 dition by means of the towing net, especially in north lati- 

 tude 42 3', west longitude 63 49', the temperature of the 

 water at the surface being 72. The existence of powerful 

 currents in the vicinity of the Georges was determined by 

 the officers of the steamer, and the greatest depth indicated 

 was 1800 fathoms, no bottom being reached on this occasion. 

 How much lower the depth may be in that region it was im- 

 possible to determine; but as the work will probably be re- 

 sumed another season by the Coast Survey, we hope to be 

 placed in possession of the actual facts with all the details. 

 4Z>, 1873, V., p. 1. 



ARCTIC EXPEDITION OF 1872. 



The December number of Petermann's Mittheilungen in- 

 cludes an account of seven expeditions for polar research, 

 which, starting out during the year 1872, have already safely 



