lo NATURAL SCIENCE. July 



when the Royal Society had endorsed Dr. Carpenter's suggestion. 

 And, finally, congratulations to Dr. John Murray — and to all who have 

 helped him — on the completion of his task, and on the honorary 

 degrees showered on him by universities, and especially on the kindly 

 and generous presentation to him, by the French Academy of 

 Sciences, of the distinguished *' Prix Cuvier." 



The brilliant success of the " Challenger " Expedition and its 

 Report, clearly point to the reasonableness of forthwith organising 

 a similar enterprise by the aid of one of her Majesty's ships, for the 

 purpose of filling up gaps and following out lines of inquiry which 

 are patent to oceanographers and naturalists as the result of the 

 consideration of the " Challenger's " work, and of that of other 

 smaller but important expeditions which have followed it. There are 

 now a large number of definite problems of the kind to which an 

 immediate solution could be thus given. But, perhaps, the most 

 interesting enterprise to British naturalists would be a biological and 

 physical survey of the mud-line (of Murray) around the British 

 Islands. E. Ray Lankester. 



I.— HYDROGRAPHY AND NAVIGATION. 



The combination of civilians with naval officers in the 

 " Challenger " Expedition was most successful. Owing to the vessel 

 being of a suitable size, each civilian not only had a cabin, but 

 a work-room to himself ; whilst the naval staff were also well accom- 

 modated. This enabled each member to work uninterruptedly at 

 his own speciality, and to compare notes with the others in the 

 smoking circle daily after dinner, a function always well attended, and 

 one where the events and work of the day were freely and amicably 

 discussed. To say that the civilians cheerfully endured the being 

 cribbed, cabined, and confined to a movable prison with a chance of 

 being drowned, hardly does justice to the alacrity they always 

 exhibited, 6r to the constant interest they took in their work ; whilst 

 to the naval staff the close intercourse with men not brought up to a 

 sea-life from a tender age, but educated in an entirely different school 

 of thought, in the universities, had a charm which served to make 

 the long voyages anything but tedious. That all were animated 

 with the idea that it was their business to make the Expedition 

 a success, is proved, not only by the evidence of the late Sir 

 Wyville Thomson, in his letters to the Hydrographer of the 

 Admiralty, but by the general results obtained, which are freely 

 acknowledged to be worthy of the nation which equipped, and the 

 members who accompanied, the Expedition. 



The principal results of the "Challenger" Expedition from a 

 naval point of view are : — 



I. The proof that the variation of the compass can be deter- 

 mined as accurately in a ship, as on shore, if the ship is 

 magnetically suitable. 



