204 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



returned. First among these is that of Wittscheck to Spitz- 

 bergen and Nova Zembla, The article then passes in review 

 the discoveries of Hardemann, Johnson, and Nilsen to the east 

 of Spitzbergen, then the voyage of Leigh Smith and Captain 

 David Gray to West Spitzbergen and East Greenland. The 

 second expedition of Whymper to East Greenland is then 

 considered. In addition to these are mentioned the expedi- 

 tion from America under Captain Hall, and that of Payer and 

 Weyprecht, which expected to pass the winter in the north, 

 as also the Swedish expedition, of which such unsatisfactory 

 news has lately been received. The article concludes by ref- 

 erence to the winter expedition of the Albert, which was sent 

 out to the relief of the Swedish party under NordenskjOld, 

 and to the exploration which Captain Maack proposes to ini- 

 tiate as early in 1873 as possible, with a view of following 

 out a route midway between Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla. 

 17 C, 1872, xii., 457. 



THE VOYAGE OF THE HASSLER. 



The voyage of the United States Coast Survey steamer 

 JTassler from Boston to San Francisco, in 1872, will ever be 

 memorable in the annals of science as carrying a party of in- 

 vestigators, under the direction of Professor Agassiz, who 

 succeeded in making natural-history collections of enormous 

 extent, and in securing a mass of observations on the natural 

 history of the ocean, such as certainly has never before been 

 paralleled in the same space of time if, indeed, at all equaled 

 by any one expedition. Professor Agassiz's companions con- 

 sisted of Mrs. Agassiz, Count Pourtales, Dr. Thomas Hill, Dr. 

 White, Dr. Steindachner, and Mr. James H. Blake. The ves- 

 sel was commanded by Captain P. C. Johnson, with Messrs. 

 Kennedy and Day as lieutenants. 



The Hassler left Boston on the 4th of December, 1871. The 

 first observations of much interest were made upon the gulf- 

 weed, with its well-marked varieties, distinguished by differ- 

 ences of stem and leaves. Lara;e collections were secured of 

 the hydroid communities inhabiting the Sargassum, and also 

 of the small fishes, crustaceans, and other animals finding shel- 

 ter within its branches. There was no reason to suppose that 

 the Sargassum originates as a floating plant. On the con- 

 trary, all the masses found, however large, bore marks of hav- 



