288 Proceedings of the Asiatie Society. [ Dec. 
1. To test a rather generally accepted opinion that no animal 
life existed below the depth of a few hundred fathoms : 
2. To determine the influence of light and of pressure upon 
animal life at great depths: 
3. To further the study of the geographical distribution of 
animal and vegetable life. 
4, ‘To deterniine the temperature, the strength and direction of 
the currents, the relative Chemical composition and the amount of 
dissolved gases in Sea Water at various depths, &c. 
5. ‘To determine the nature of the Deep Sea bottom, the mode 
of its deposition, and the sources whence the materials composing 
it were derived. . 
The interest attaching to the study of these questions, and their 
important bearing upon the progress of Biological and Physical 
Science, having been duly considered by the Royal Society, it was 
resolved that application should be made to Government for assise 
tance. The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in the most 
liberal manner acceded to the recommendation of the Royal Society 
by placing a suitable vessel at the disposal of the Dredging Com- 
mittee by whom the Scientific exploration of the Deep Sea has 
been, and is being, most successfully prosecuted. The results of 
their explorations have been given from time to time in the reports 
printed in the Proceedings of the Royal Society (Vol. XVII, No. 
107, Vol. XVIII, No. 121, &c.), and they fully justify the high 
expectation of success from the expedition which had been formed. 
The Sub-Committee would only draw attention to one or two of the 
most important acquisitions to science. 
Dredging operations conducted down to the enormous depth of 
upwards of two thousand fathoms have proved the existence of 
animal and vegetable life in abundance, even at that vast depth. 
Most valuable observations have been made on the rate of di- 
minution of temperature with increase of depth. The existence of 
two distinct submarine climates in close proximity and on the same 
level, called respectively the Warm and the Cold areas, has been 
most conclusively proved, and each area has been shewn to possess 
its own peculiar fauna and sea-bed; this in the warm area being 
almost entirely composed of Globigerina-mud and in the cold area 
