May 25, 1857.] ADMIRALTY SURVEYS— AFRICA—CHINA SEAS. 405 



line of deep sea soundings between that island and Candia, in 

 whicli tlie greatest depth was 2170 fathoms. The section is very- 

 striking ; for a distance of 50 miles to the eastward of Malta the 

 depth does not exceed 100 fathoms, after which it drops almost 

 suddenly to 1500 and 2000 fathoms, and continues near that level 

 lelow the surface of the sea until within 20 miles of the east end of 

 Candia or Crete, where the White Mountains and Mount Ida rise up 

 to a nearly equal height above the level of the sea. Between Crete 

 and the Dardanelles the greatest depth is 1110 fathoms. 



Africa. — On the North Coast of Egypt, Commander Mansell in the 

 Tartarus, with his assistants, Lieut. Brooker and Mr. Skead, have 

 completed a survey of the coast from Damietta eastward to El 

 Araish, an admirable plan of the port of Alexandria, and a survey of 

 the bay of Suez, a place daily becoming of more importance as our 

 direct mail communication extends to India, China, and Australia. 



Taking advantage of fine weather and a calm sea. Captain Mansell 

 has lately run a line of soundings between Alexandria and the island 

 of Rhodes. From the coast of Egypt the depths gradually increase 

 until at 70 miles oif they reach 1000 fathoms, at 110 miles 1600 

 fathoms, which is the maximum depth of this portion of the basin 

 of the Levant. The above soundings are of great interest to the 

 geologist as well as the geographer, and do much credit to the 

 officers who, overcoming many difficulties, have succeeded in carrying 

 them out. 



While on this subject I should mention that, in October 1856, 

 Messrs. Delamanche and Ploix, Ingenieurs Hydrographes of the 

 French Imperial Marine, carried a line of soundings across the 

 Mediterranean between Poit Vendres in France to Algiers, in which 

 the greatest depth was about the same as in the Levant, namely 

 1600 fathoms. 



South Africa. — In the Cape Colony the only addition we have to 

 record is the completion by Mr. Francis Skead of the survey of Port 

 Natal, begun by Lieut. Dayman, e.n., in 1855. I cannot here but 

 repeat the words of my predecessor in this Chair, that both the land 

 survey of the colony and that of the coasts ought to be pressed for- 

 ward. Every year that they are delayed bars the progress of the 

 settlers, hinders the development of the resources of the district, and 

 is attended with loss to the colonial exchequer. 



China Seas. — In the last anniversary Address a hope was expressed 

 that Captain Bate, the surveyor of the island of Palawan, might be 

 more usefully employed in China than in merely commanding a 



