﻿14 
  EEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [12] 
  

  

  the 
  vessel 
  to 
  visitors. 
  A 
  detail 
  of 
  officers 
  and 
  men 
  was 
  on 
  duty 
  during 
  

   visiting 
  hours 
  to 
  show 
  them 
  over 
  the 
  vessel, 
  one 
  naturalist, 
  at 
  least, 
  

   being 
  in 
  the 
  laboratory. 
  

  

  We 
  remained 
  at 
  the 
  wharf 
  until 
  March 
  1. 
  Many 
  thousands 
  of 
  peo- 
  

   ple 
  from 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  visited 
  and 
  examined 
  the 
  vessel, 
  her 
  

   scientific 
  appliances, 
  and 
  such 
  specimens 
  of 
  marine 
  fauna 
  as 
  we 
  could 
  

   exhibit, 
  with 
  evident 
  wonder 
  and 
  interest. 
  All 
  were 
  received 
  with 
  

   courtesy, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  worthy 
  of 
  remark 
  that 
  the 
  officers 
  took 
  particular 
  

   pleasure 
  in 
  explaining 
  the 
  various 
  appliances 
  in 
  use 
  for 
  deep-sea 
  ex- 
  

   ploration, 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  that 
  work, 
  and 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  

   Commission 
  in 
  general. 
  The 
  crew 
  also 
  entered 
  into 
  the 
  matter 
  with 
  

   commendable 
  spirit, 
  and 
  were 
  of 
  great 
  service. 
  Our 
  visitors 
  almost 
  

   invariably 
  expressed 
  great 
  interest 
  in 
  what 
  they 
  saw 
  and 
  appreciation 
  

   of 
  the 
  courtesy 
  shown 
  them. 
  

  

  At 
  9.15 
  a. 
  in., 
  March 
  1, 
  we 
  left 
  the 
  Exhibition 
  wharf 
  and 
  steamed 
  down 
  

   the 
  river, 
  passing 
  Fort 
  Jackson 
  at 
  3 
  p. 
  m. 
  We 
  entered 
  the 
  South 
  Pass 
  

   at 
  4.20 
  p. 
  m., 
  left 
  the 
  jetties 
  at 
  5.20, 
  and 
  laid 
  a 
  course 
  to 
  the 
  southward 
  

   and 
  eastward 
  for 
  the 
  night. 
  The 
  surface 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  

   which 
  had 
  been 
  40° 
  in 
  the 
  river, 
  rose 
  to 
  68° 
  soon 
  after 
  leaving 
  the 
  

   jetties. 
  

  

  At 
  5.30 
  a. 
  m., 
  March 
  2, 
  we 
  sounded 
  in 
  1,407 
  fathoms, 
  yellow 
  ooze, 
  

   latitude 
  28° 
  00' 
  15" 
  X., 
  longitude 
  87° 
  42' 
  W., 
  and 
  at 
  0.27 
  lowered 
  the 
  

   trawl, 
  with 
  wing-nets 
  and 
  mud-bag 
  attached, 
  and 
  veered 
  2,300 
  fathoms 
  

   on 
  the 
  dredge-rope. 
  It 
  was 
  landed 
  on 
  deck 
  at 
  10.0G 
  a. 
  m. 
  with 
  several 
  

   species 
  of 
  bottom 
  fish, 
  shrimp, 
  sea-anemones, 
  holothurians, 
  ophiurans, 
  

   annelids, 
  echinoderms, 
  sponges, 
  &c. 
  The 
  bottom 
  was 
  very 
  slimy, 
  and 
  

   the 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  species 
  were 
  much 
  smaller 
  than 
  would 
  have 
  

   been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  depth 
  in 
  the 
  Atlantic. 
  

  

  Another 
  haul 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  1,430 
  fathoms, 
  brown 
  mud, 
  latitude 
  28° 
  

   02' 
  30" 
  N., 
  longitude 
  87° 
  43' 
  45" 
  W., 
  and 
  a 
  third 
  one 
  in 
  1,330 
  fathoms, 
  

   light 
  brown 
  mud, 
  latitude 
  28° 
  05' 
  K, 
  longitude 
  87° 
  5G' 
  15" 
  W. 
  The 
  

   general 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  hauls 
  was 
  

   much 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  first. 
  A 
  feature 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  hauls 
  was 
  the 
  

   predominance 
  of 
  soft 
  jelly-like 
  forms. 
  

  

  At 
  5.35 
  a. 
  m., 
  March 
  3, 
  we 
  sounded 
  in 
  1,255 
  fathoms, 
  gray 
  mud, 
  lati- 
  

   tude 
  2S° 
  19' 
  45" 
  N., 
  longitude 
  88° 
  01' 
  30" 
  W., 
  and 
  at 
  0.09 
  lowered 
  the 
  

   trawl. 
  It 
  was 
  landed 
  on 
  deck 
  at 
  9.30 
  — 
  being 
  a 
  mere 
  "water 
  haul." 
  It 
  

   was 
  lowered 
  again 
  at 
  10.51 
  a. 
  m. 
  in 
  1,181 
  fathoms, 
  brown 
  and 
  green 
  

   mud, 
  latitude 
  2S° 
  32' 
  N., 
  longitude 
  8S° 
  00' 
  W., 
  and 
  landed 
  on 
  deck 
  at 
  

   2.08 
  p. 
  m. 
  with 
  a 
  heavy 
  load 
  of 
  mud, 
  which 
  yielded 
  considerable 
  fora- 
  

   minifera, 
  but 
  little 
  else. 
  Another 
  cast 
  was 
  made 
  at 
  3.24 
  in 
  940 
  fathoms, 
  

   gray 
  and 
  brown 
  mud, 
  latitude 
  28° 
  45' 
  K, 
  longitude 
  88° 
  15' 
  30" 
  W. 
  A 
  

   heavy 
  load 
  of 
  mud 
  was 
  brought 
  up 
  as 
  before, 
  with 
  several 
  bottom 
  fish, 
  

   one 
  of 
  which 
  wo 
  did 
  not 
  recognize. 
  The 
  last 
  haul 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  was 
  made 
  

   at 
  7 
  p. 
  m. 
  in 
  730 
  fathoms, 
  gray 
  mud, 
  latitude 
  2S° 
  51' 
  K, 
  longitude 
  88° 
  

  

  