a AP LAN TC. 
CHAPTER 1. 
THE EQUIPMENT OF THE SHIP. 
The Causes which led to the Dispatch of the Challenger Expedition.—The Staff of 
Officers, Naval and Civilian.—The Special Arrangements for Scientific Work.— 
The Natural History Work-room.—The Chemical Laboratory.—The Apparatus 
for boiling out the Gases from Sea-water; for determining the Carbonic Acid; 
for Gas Analysis.—The “Slip” Water-bottle-—“ Buchanan’s” Stop-cock Water- 
bottle-—The Hydraulic Pressure-gauge.—The “ Baillie”? Sounding-machine.—The 
“Valve” Sounding-machine.—Improvements in the Dredge, and in the Mode of 
handling it.—The Steam-pinnace. 
Appenpix A.—Official Correspondence with reference to the Challenger Expedition, 
extracted from the Minutes of Council of the Royal Society. 
Apprnpix B,—List of the Stations in the Atlantic at which Observations were taken 
during the year 1873. 
Ir may perhaps be well, before going into the story of our 
own experiences, to sketch in a few words the train of cireum- 
stances which led to the dispatch of H.M.S. Challenger on a 
voyage of scientific research and discovery “round the world.” 
The wonderful project of establishing a telegraphic communi- 
cation between the Old World and the New directed the atten- 
tion of practical men to a region about which up to that time 
but little had been known with certainty, and about which there 
had been a great deal of hazy misconception—the bottom of the 
deep sea. To procure information sufficient to enable them to 
prepare for the laying of a telegraph cable, sounding expedi- 
tions were organized, by both of the Governments specially 
