INDUSTRIAL PKOGRESS DURING THE YEAR 1876. cxxiii 



creel that the inclination of the magnetic needle had changed from 

 48 26' in 1842 to 52 in 1876. 



Leaving the Falkland Islands on the 6th of February, the Chal- 

 lenger proceeded to Montevideo, then to Ascension, Porto Praya, 

 St, Vincent, and Vigo Bay, the work of sounding, dredging, and tak- 

 ing serial temperatures being steadily and faithfully kef)t up. From 

 Vigo the ship sailed for England, arriving at Spithead on the 24th 

 of May. 



During this long and admirably conducted cruise the Challenger 

 sailed and steamed more than 69,000 miles. Nearly 400 deep-sea 

 soundings were made, of which two were over 4000 fathoms, nine 

 between 3000 and 4000 fathoms, one hundred and sixty-eight be- 

 tween 2000 and 3000, one hundred and twenty-four between 1000 

 and 2000, and the remainder were under 1000 fathoms. Serial tem- 

 peratures of the ocean were obtained at 250 stations, and dredging 

 was effected at nearly as many. In addition to this work done at 

 sea, very many anchorages were surveyed, and numerous additions 

 and corrections made on the cliarts of the coasts visited. 



H. B. M. S. Valorous^ after parting from the arctic ships Alert and 

 Discovery on the 17th of July, 1875, and stojiping en route at Hol- 

 steinborg, returned to Cork. During the three months' cruise of the 

 Valorous, in addition to the chief duty of supplying the Arctic Exjdc- 

 dition, much valuable hydrographic work was accomi3lislied. No 

 less than fifty-seven deep-sea soundings were made in Davis Strait 

 and the Atlantic ; dredgings which liave yielded important results 

 were made in hitherto unexplored regions ; valuable observations 

 of temperatures at different depths were made ; and several harbors, 

 including Holsteinborg wdth its approaches, w^ere surveyed. The 

 Atlantic soundings indicate that there is a cap or ridge with only 

 690 fathoms upon it, and with comparatively steep sides, at a dis- 

 tance of about 400 miles southeast of Cape Farewell. 



Upon parting company with the Valoi'ous off Disco Island on July 

 17th, the Alert and Discovery took their way to the northw^ard, first 

 encountering the ice of the middle pack on the 24th of the same 

 month, but passing through it without difficulty in thirty-four hours. 

 After visiting Port Foulke and Life-boat Cove, the scene of the wreck 

 of the Polaris, the ice was met on July 30th off Cape Sabine, and from 

 this point a constant struggle with it took place until August 25th, 

 when, after many narrow escapes from being crushed, the vessels 

 reached a liarbor on the west side of Hall's Basin, in latitude 81 44' N. 

 Here it was decided to leave the Discovery, and she was accordingly 

 secured in sight of Polaris Bay, on the opposite side of the channel. 

 The Alert pushed on to the northw^ard, attaining a latitude of about 

 82 30' north, farther than any ship had previously reached, when 

 she was beset by the ice, and, sheltered by some bergs which liad 

 grounded in twelve fathoms of water, the ship was secured for the 



