BY THE PRESIDENT. 177 



as regards the ocean in general. Dr. Carpenter, in his Eeport 1o 

 the lloyal Society on liis biological researclies in the Mediterranean 

 during the 'Shearwater' cruise, expresses his belief that "in the 

 Mediterranean basin the existence of animal life in any abundance 

 at a depth greater than 200 fathoms will be found quite exceptional ;" 

 and he infers " that Edward Forbes was quite justified in the con- 

 clusion he drew as regards the particular localitij he had investigated, 

 and that his only mistake lay in supposing that the same conditions 

 would prevail in the open ocean." But this eminent naturalist and 

 physiologist, Dr. Carpenter, to whose opinions on such, subjects all 

 respect is due, admits that "the history of science is full of 

 instances in which erroneous doctrines have been more productive, 

 because more suggestive, than well-determined facts that open no 

 access to the unknown beyond." With the greatest deference to 

 Dr. Carpenter's opinion that animal life is scanty in the depths of 

 the Mediterranean, I venture to point out that very little had 

 previously been done to investigate the fauna of that sea beyond the 

 shores and shallow water, to the extent which Forbes reached, viz. 

 230 fathoms. 



Admiral Spratt in 1846 dredged, at a depth of 310 fathoms, 

 40 miles east of Malta, a number of living Mollusca, which 

 I examined and found to be identical with species which I 

 di'edged at considerable depths in the Xorth Atlantic during the 

 'Porcupine' Expeditions. Again, during the Mediterranean cruise 

 of 1870 in the 'Porcupine,' no fewer than 14 species of Mollusca 

 (also Atlantic), besides a pelagic or surface-water species and 

 a small freshwater shell, which must have been carried out to sea 

 by some river or stream, occurred at a depth of 1415 fathoms, 

 between the coasts of North Africa and Spain. All these species 

 were recent, and some were living, although most of them were 

 known to me as also belonging to the Pliocene formation in Sicily. 

 However, we shall, in all probability, know a great deal more of 

 this matter if our good neighbours the French are able to carry out 

 their idea of extemling theii' investigation of the deep sea near 

 their own coasts by another dredging and sounding cruise oif 

 Marseilles or Toulon.* 



During the early part of the summer of last year (1880) 

 our Admiralty placed at the disposal of Sii' Wyville Thomson, 

 H.M. surveying- vessel 'Knight Errant,' for a cruise off the Butt 

 of Lewis, in prosecution of his researches in the ' Lightning ' 



* Since this Address was delivered I have been in correspondence with Professor 

 Giglioli, of Florence, on the subject of a Deep-sea Expedition which will be 

 undertaken by the Italian Government this year in the Mediterranean. 



VOL. I. — PART v. 12 



