CRUISES OF THE "MICHAEL SARS 



rise the Azores and St. 



57 



Paul's Rocks, and other volcanic cones 

 and islands of small extent 

 rise from the deeper water, 

 like the Bermuda, Madeira, 

 and Canary Islands, and the 

 Dacia, Josephine, and other 

 banks. 



The route of the " Michael 

 Sars " from Plymouth to Gib- 

 raltar (Fig. 37) was selected in 

 order to find the most favour- 

 able localities for using the 

 fishing gear, that is to say, 

 where the continental slope is 

 less steep than usual, and 

 where accordingly the gear 

 would be working on com- 

 paratively level ground. We 

 expected to find the best 

 ground where the coast banks 

 are broadest ; for instance, off 

 Ireland, in the Spanish Bay 

 (Gulf of Cadiz), south of the 

 Canaries, and off the New- 

 foundland Banks. In our 

 crossings of the ocean we 

 had particularly to take into 

 consideration the distance be- 

 tween the coaling harbours. 



All preparations being 

 complete, the " Michael Sars " 

 sailed from Bergen on the ist 

 April, the first port made 

 being Plymouth, where Sir John 

 Murray joined the expedition. 

 While at anchor at Plymouth 

 the captains of trawlers in- 

 formed us that the bottom on 

 the coast banks and on the 

 continental slope was very 

 rough in some places, but that 

 if we took a westerly direction 

 we should have a good opportunity of using the trawl down to 



Route of the 

 " Michael 

 Sars." 



From 



Plymouth to 

 Gibraltar. 



Fig. 37. — The "Michael Sars" Observing 

 Stations from Plymouth to Gibraltar. 



