PROTO-BATHYSPHERES 47 



up, and otherwise for convenience and usefulness in coral- 

 fishing." 



The diver stands upon the stone base A, with the upper 

 part of his body in the air-filled box CLR, looking out of 

 the crystal IH. There seems no way to renew the air. 



The first romance of diving as narrated by Whymper, 

 tells how William Phipps, one of the early English divers, 

 founded the noble house of Mulgrave. "He was the son 

 of a blacksmith, and in 1663 devised a plan for recover- 

 ing the treasures on board a Spanish ship which had sunk 

 oflF the coasts of Hispaniola. Charles II lent him a ship 

 and all that he required; but the project was a failure, 

 and Phipps sank into almost abject poverty. But he was 

 a man of great energy, and a little later managed to inter- 

 est the Duke of Albemarle and others, who subscribed for 

 a second attempt. In 1667, Phipps embarked on a vessel 

 of two hundred tons burthen, having undertaken to di- 

 vide the profits between the twenty shareholders who 

 represented the associated capital, in proportion to their 

 subscriptions. At first he was unsuccessful, but just as he 

 was on the point of despair, found his gold mine. The 

 fortunate diver returned to England with £200,000; a 

 tenth of which fell to his share and £90,000 to the Duke 

 of Albemarle, while the rest was divided among the minor 

 subscribers. Phipps was knighted." 



Another attempt to use diving bells, with less success, 

 was in England a year or two after Phipps's adventure. In 

 1588 when the English gained their great victory over 



