INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR 1874. xciii 



by a Chilian commission, accompanied by M. Pertuisset, a 

 French savan. 



Other surveys and examinations of more or less moment 

 have been prosecuted by the various governments of South 

 America, the results of which will doubtless in due time be 

 presented to the world. 



The Pacific Ocean and its islands, including Australia, 

 New Zealand, New Guinea, etc., have constituted to a con- 

 siderable extent a field of research during the year 1874, the 

 most important labor being referred to under the head of 

 deep-sea Explorations of the Challenger and of the Tuscarora. . 

 New ideas have been developed in regard to the configura- 

 tion of the sea-bottom, its currents and its temperatures, 

 and the dredge, the trawl, and the sounding-line have all been 

 called into requisition in determining the condition of its ani- 

 mal life. 



Various parties, destined for the observation of the transit 

 of Venus on the 8th of December, have also traversed this 

 ocean in various directions, and, as representing several prom- 

 inent nationalities, accompanied by eminent specialists in 

 almost every branch of science, we may expect a vast ac- 

 quisition to our information. Their labors will have more 

 special reference to the physical and natural history of the 

 islands visited, including the Sandwich Islands, Campbell Isl- 

 and, the Marquesas, Auckland Islands, Japan, as also Ker- 

 guelen Island, Chatham Island, the Mauritius, and Rodriguez 

 Islands, and of the Mascarenes and Saint Paul in the Indian 

 Ocean. Advices have already been received from many of 

 these parties, affording intimations of the results that we 

 may reasonably expect hereafter. 



The American vessel the Swatara was unable to land a 

 party upon Crozet's Island, and probably this station will 

 not be occupied by any one. Further information in regard 

 to the astronomical parties will be found under the head of 

 Astronomy. It may be remarked that the Sioatara reached 

 Hobart Town, the terminus of her voyage, on the 1st of Oc- 

 tober. 



For some years past New Guinea has been a favorite field 

 of research, Russian, Italian, German, English, and other par- 

 ties having been engaged in its examination, among them 

 Messrs. Beccari, De Albertis, Wallace, Michluco-Maclay, and 



