﻿G 
  REPOET 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [4] 
  

  

  trawl 
  in 
  37 
  fathoms, 
  sand 
  and 
  broken 
  coral 
  bottom, 
  latitude 
  24° 
  2G' 
  N., 
  

   longitude 
  Sl° 
  48' 
  15" 
  W. 
  It 
  soon 
  caught 
  on 
  the 
  rough 
  bottom 
  and 
  

   came 
  up 
  tail 
  first, 
  but 
  there 
  were 
  several 
  good 
  specimens 
  in 
  tbe 
  folds 
  of 
  

   the 
  net. 
  Tbe 
  ground 
  was 
  very 
  thickly 
  strewn 
  with 
  coral 
  fragments 
  and 
  

   dotted 
  with 
  growing 
  coral, 
  making 
  it 
  wholly 
  unfit 
  for 
  trawling 
  ; 
  but 
  we 
  

   used 
  an 
  old 
  net 
  of 
  very 
  little 
  value, 
  and 
  succeeded 
  in 
  making 
  three 
  in- 
  

   teresting 
  and 
  successful 
  hauls. 
  Fish 
  were 
  represented 
  by 
  several 
  spe- 
  

   cies, 
  some 
  being 
  new 
  to 
  us, 
  and 
  the 
  iu 
  vertebrates 
  included 
  many 
  species 
  

   of 
  crabs, 
  echinoderms, 
  cephalopods, 
  shells, 
  corals, 
  &c, 
  a 
  better 
  variety 
  

   probably 
  than 
  would 
  be 
  obtained 
  by 
  going 
  over 
  the 
  ground 
  again, 
  as 
  

   we 
  could 
  not 
  expect 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  same 
  number 
  of 
  hauls 
  without 
  sacri- 
  

   ficing 
  the 
  net. 
  Alter 
  working 
  until 
  dark 
  we 
  started 
  for 
  Havana, 
  arriv- 
  

   ing 
  at 
  8.30 
  a. 
  m. 
  the 
  following 
  morning, 
  making 
  fast 
  to 
  mooring 
  buoy 
  

   No. 
  3. 
  We 
  received 
  the 
  usual 
  visits 
  from 
  the 
  authorities 
  on 
  shore, 
  and 
  

   from 
  the 
  French 
  ram 
  Bouvet, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  returned 
  during 
  the 
  day. 
  

   At 
  10 
  a, 
  m. 
  I 
  called 
  on 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  consul-general, 
  Robert 
  Will- 
  

   iams, 
  esq., 
  who 
  accompanied 
  me 
  to 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  the 
  captain 
  of 
  the 
  port, 
  

   he 
  being, 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  admiral, 
  in 
  command 
  of 
  the 
  station. 
  

   Upon 
  being 
  informed 
  of 
  our 
  mission 
  to 
  Cuba 
  he 
  offered 
  his 
  services 
  and 
  

   expressed 
  a 
  hope 
  that 
  we 
  would 
  meet 
  with 
  success. 
  

  

  At 
  6.15 
  a. 
  m. 
  (lie 
  following 
  morning, 
  .January 
  17, 
  we 
  left 
  the 
  port 
  and 
  

   lowered 
  the 
  tangles 
  outside 
  the 
  entrance 
  as 
  near 
  as 
  possible 
  in 
  the 
  spot 
  

   where 
  we 
  found 
  the 
  Pentacrinus 
  last 
  winter. 
  Thirteen 
  hauls 
  were 
  made 
  

   during 
  the 
  day 
  in 
  from 
  114 
  to 
  230 
  fathoms, 
  rough 
  coral 
  bottom 
  ; 
  the 
  

   losses 
  amounting 
  to 
  one 
  tangle, 
  50 
  fathoms 
  of 
  dredge-rope, 
  and 
  two 
  

   sounding-shot 
  used 
  as 
  tangle- 
  weights. 
  The 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  day's 
  work 
  

   was 
  85 
  specimens 
  of 
  Pentacrinus 
  in 
  good 
  condition, 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  

   of 
  small 
  crabs, 
  echinoderms, 
  shrimp, 
  sponges, 
  small 
  fish, 
  &c. 
  We 
  re- 
  

   turned 
  to 
  port 
  and 
  made 
  last 
  to 
  the 
  buoy 
  at 
  6.15, 
  p. 
  m. 
  The 
  next 
  day, 
  

   being 
  Sunday, 
  we 
  remained 
  in 
  port 
  receiving 
  visits 
  from 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  consul-general, 
  captain 
  of 
  the 
  port, 
  Capt. 
  J. 
  Romero 
  y 
  Moreno, 
  

   Spanish 
  navy, 
  and 
  others. 
  

  

  We 
  were 
  under 
  way 
  again 
  the 
  following 
  morning, 
  making 
  thirteen 
  

   hauls- 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  without 
  loss, 
  taking 
  187 
  sea-lilies 
  in 
  good 
  condi- 
  

   tion, 
  and 
  a 
  single 
  specimen 
  of 
  what 
  was 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  new 
  genus. 
  

  

  Preparations 
  lor 
  our 
  final 
  departure 
  were 
  made 
  Tuesday 
  morning, 
  and 
  

   we 
  left 
  the 
  harbor 
  at 
  noon. 
  Six 
  hauls 
  were 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  afternoon 
  ; 
  

   five 
  with 
  the 
  tangles 
  resulting 
  in 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  100 
  sea-lilies, 
  and 
  one, 
  

   the 
  last, 
  with 
  the 
  small 
  beam-trawl 
  over 
  the 
  same 
  ground. 
  We 
  hardly 
  ex- 
  

   pected 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  net 
  again, 
  although 
  thinking 
  it 
  worth 
  the 
  trial. 
  Strange 
  

   to 
  say, 
  there 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  specimen 
  of 
  Pentacrinus 
  brought 
  up; 
  in 
  

   other 
  respects 
  the 
  haul 
  was 
  an 
  excellent 
  one. 
  Among 
  the 
  many 
  things 
  

   in 
  the 
  net 
  were 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  cup 
  sponges, 
  ophiurans, 
  corals, 
  and 
  a 
  rare 
  

   fish, 
  a 
  line 
  specimen 
  of 
  Astrophyton, 
  and 
  several 
  remarkable 
  sea-urchins 
  

   having 
  very 
  long 
  spines. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  were 
  unique, 
  and 
  had 
  

   daylight 
  permitted 
  we 
  would 
  have 
  made 
  another 
  attempt 
  with 
  the 
  

  

  