io THE SEAS 



The progress of oceanography, therefore, must march side 

 by side with the advance of the sciences of which it is built up. 



The first true oceanographical expedition sailed when 

 Captain James Cook started on his voyage of discovery 

 in 1768 in the Endeavour. On this expedition both 

 temperature observations and deep sea soundings were 

 made, and included in the ship's company were the Astron- 

 omer Royal and a noted biologist. 



From this time onwards until about i860 many explora- 

 tory voyages were undertaken on which true oceanographical 

 work was carried out, such as the expedition to the Antarctic 

 in 1839 in the Erebus and Terror under Sir James Ross. 

 At this period also the knowledge of marine zoology and 

 botany grew quickly and new facts were being discovered 

 by naturalists who went out in naval surveying ships. 

 In 1 83 1 Charles Darwin sailed in H.M.S. Beagle ; in 1846 

 H.M.S. Rattlesnake took with her Thomas Huxley, and in 

 i860 H.M.S. Bulldog went cruising with G. C. Wallich on 

 board. Little was, however, known of the life on the deep 

 ocean beds, and it was generally believed that the condi- 

 tions found there would completely prohibit the existence 

 of living animals. Occasionally organisms had been 

 brought up attached to deep sea sounding-leads, but there 

 was the possibility that these had become entangled while the 

 rope and lead were hauled through the upper water layers. 



More substantial evidence that life really existed at the 

 great depths came when submarine cables were invented, 

 and the salving of broken cables showed growth of marine 

 organisms upon them. 



In 1868, H.M.S. Lightning, followed later by H.M.S. 

 Porcupine, proceeded with naturalists on board to settle 

 the question once and for all by deep sea dredging. We can 

 imagine the suspense of the little group of men on board 

 when the dredge was at last nearing the surface ; for deep 



