1869.J '"'^"? Meteorologij. 299 



as to the weather which may be expected there. Other notices 

 concerning meteorological phenomena generally are to be found in 

 the form of notes, while the limits of certain districts, such as those 

 of the trade-winds, the equatorial rainfall, &c., are laid down by- 

 curves. These wind-charts are most useful of their kind, and far 

 more intelligible than those which have formerly appeared in this 

 country and the United States; but in certain parts of the ocean 

 more specific information as to both date and place is undoubtedly 

 required. Though for the S.E. trade the means of ten-degree 

 squares for three months may sufiice amply, we require for other 

 parts at the least monthly means for much smaller areas, such as 

 those given on Adm. Chabanne's charts for the coast of Brazil, 

 published by the Departement de la Marine in Paris in 1861. 



The current chart gives a graphical representation of the general 

 course of the chief currents throughout the year, with notes showing 

 how their set on each coast is aflected either by the winds or by 

 other disturbing causes. The course of the principal isothermal 

 lines of surface temperatm-e is also given, as well as entries of the 

 most remarkable deep-sea soundings. 



In the atlas is included the ice chart of the Southern Hemisphere, 

 which appeared about three years ago. The urgent necessity for 

 such a chart became very obvious when the introduction of great 

 circle sailing brought prominently before the notice of navigators 

 the dangers to be experienced from ice in high southern latitudes. 



The whole atlas is a most useful work, and shows on its face 

 the care and labour which have been spent on its compilation; 

 we shall be glad to see the similar series for the Indian and Pacific 

 Oceans. 



With reference to the subject of sea-temperature, and more 

 especially of that prevailing at great depths, the report recently 

 submitted to the Eoyal Society by Dr. Carpenter and Dr. Wyville 

 Thomson is of great interest and importance. These gentlemen 

 wishing to test, by direct experiment, the truth of the assertions 

 made by the late Edward Forbes, as to the depth in the sea at 

 which organic life ceased to exist, and on which statements con- 

 siderable doubt had been thrown by the soundings made by 

 M'Clintock, in the 'Bulldog,' and by others, obtained the use of 

 H.M.S. ' Lightning,' and proceeded last autumn on a cruise ofl' the 

 west coast of Scotland. The results as to the precise biological 

 question above referred to, which were obtained by the expedition, 

 do not belong to the present subject, but the observations on tem- 

 peratures at great depths merit particular notice. 



It is well known that an idea has been nearly universally 

 accepted, that the sea-bottom at great depths was covered by a. 

 stratum of water possessing a temperature of 39'' '5. In low lati- 

 tudes this stratum was said to be covered by water warmer than its 



