PETTERSSON 



made daring cruises not only in the Mediterranean but also in adjacent 

 parts of the open Atlantic Ocean. He soon found this ship too small 

 for his purpose and in the following decades he had three larger and 

 better equipped research ships built for his cruises, the "Princesse Alice 

 I" of 600 tons with an auxiliary engine of 350 HP, the "Princesse Alice 

 H" of 1400 tons and 1000 HP and finally, in 1911, the magnificently 

 equipped "Hirondelle H" of 1650 tons and 2000 HP. 



During the last two decades of the nineteenth and the first decade 

 of the twentieth century the Prince carried out deep-sea cruises, extended 

 as far as the West Indies in the west, Newfoundland in the north west, 

 Spitzbergen in the north, and almost to the equator in the south. His 

 favorite field of work, to which he returned again and again, was the 

 Agores with its fantastic submarine surroundings. With a modest self- 

 irony he used to call it "my kingdom." 



In all the different branches of oceanography, bathymetry, sediment 

 sampling and investigation, chemistry and movements of the water masses, 

 their illumination and their plankton, he did pioneer work largely 

 with the aid of instruments constructed by himself. His chief interest, 

 however, was concentrated on the organisms, fishes and invertebrates 

 inhabiting the great depths, especially the deep ocean floor. From these 

 at that time very little explored depths, his yacht brought back rare or 

 previously unknown specimens of abyssal life. He even used the large 

 sperm whales as collectors of deep-sea squids, after having obtained an 

 unknown cephalopod from the stomach of a cachalot harpooned near the 

 Agores. 



In order to find space for the treasures culled from the deep, the 

 Prince had a magnificent Musee Oceanographique built on the very 

 brink of the steep Monaco Rock. The construction was commenced in 

 1899 but the Museum could not be inaugurated until in the spring of 

 1910. This "palace of the sea" was thrown open to the public and still 

 forms one of the chief tourist attractions on the Cote d'Azur, with thou- 

 sands of eager visitors queuing up before its dazzling white portal every 

 day during the tourist season. In spacious exhibition halls the strange 

 animals inhabiting the ocean are displayed, as well as the gear used 

 to catch them. There is also an exhibit of unrivalled completeness dis- 

 playing the instruments and methods used in oceanographic research 

 from its early days, kept up to date through the acquirement of the latest 

 novelties. A beautiful aquarium in the basement is also open to the 

 public and scientific research is pursued in a number of laboratories, 

 to which foreign research workers are always welcome. 



