﻿232 
  REPORT 
  OP 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OE 
  ElSlI 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [IG] 
  

  

  The 
  following- 
  data, 
  extracted 
  from 
  the 
  official 
  records 
  of 
  the 
  ships 
  

   show 
  where 
  the 
  soundings 
  were 
  made 
  and 
  the 
  depths 
  obtained: 
  

  

  [Date, 
  March 
  11.] 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom, 
  like 
  the 
  few 
  instances 
  

   similar 
  food-fish 
  to 
  iive 
  on. 
  

  

  ;iveu, 
  was 
  unsuitable 
  for 
  red 
  snappers 
  and 
  

  

  Several 
  hauls 
  were 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  on 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  the 
  

   lltli, 
  in 
  about 
  500 
  fathoms, 
  and 
  excellent 
  results 
  were 
  obtained. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  12th 
  we 
  entered 
  the 
  South 
  Pass 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  and 
  the 
  

   following 
  day 
  reached 
  New 
  Orleans, 
  where 
  the 
  ship 
  remained 
  until 
  

   March 
  1, 
  she 
  having 
  been 
  opened 
  t6 
  the 
  public, 
  at 
  the 
  wharf 
  near 
  the 
  

   Exposition 
  grounds, 
  from 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  February 
  20 
  until 
  our 
  depart- 
  

   ure. 
  It 
  is, 
  perhaps, 
  proper 
  to 
  remark 
  in 
  this 
  place 
  that 
  the 
  Albatross 
  

   proved 
  a 
  great 
  attraction, 
  and 
  during 
  her 
  stay 
  at 
  the 
  Exposition 
  she 
  

   was 
  thronged 
  by 
  a 
  crowd 
  of 
  sight-seers, 
  many 
  of 
  whom 
  were 
  gentlemen 
  

   and 
  ladies 
  who 
  were 
  interested 
  in 
  scientific 
  work 
  and 
  who 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   ship 
  and 
  her 
  apparatus 
  and 
  collections 
  material 
  so 
  instructive 
  and 
  at- 
  

   tractive 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  came 
  on 
  board 
  repeatedly 
  and 
  frequently 
  

   made 
  it 
  a 
  point 
  to 
  bring 
  their 
  friends 
  and 
  relatives. 
  

  

  The 
  two 
  days 
  after 
  we 
  left 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  March 
  2 
  and 
  3, 
  were 
  spent 
  

   in 
  dredging 
  in 
  deep 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf. 
  On 
  the 
  4th 
  

   the 
  entire 
  da}* 
  was 
  spent 
  in 
  dredging 
  and 
  trying 
  for 
  fish 
  along 
  a 
  stretch 
  

   of 
  ground 
  off 
  Mobile. 
  The 
  first 
  attempt 
  to 
  catch 
  fish 
  was 
  made 
  at 
  0.30 
  

   a. 
  ui., 
  in 
  54 
  fathoms 
  (lat. 
  29° 
  17' 
  15" 
  N., 
  long. 
  88° 
  05' 
  30" 
  W.), 
  but 
  

   nothing 
  was 
  caught. 
  Eleven 
  other 
  trials 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  

   day, 
  in 
  from 
  22 
  to 
  40 
  fathoms, 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  about 
  2 
  to 
  4 
  miles, 
  but 
  no 
  

   success 
  was 
  met 
  with, 
  not 
  even 
  a 
  bite 
  having 
  been 
  felt 
  on 
  the 
  lines, 
  

   several 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  put 
  out-whenever 
  the 
  ship 
  stopped. 
  The 
  series 
  

   of 
  soundings 
  and 
  trials 
  for 
  fish 
  were 
  not 
  run 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  line, 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  

   sort 
  of 
  zig-zag 
  form 
  along 
  the 
  ground, 
  the 
  ship 
  first 
  heading 
  in 
  at 
  an 
  

   angle 
  on 
  the 
  bank 
  toward 
  shallow 
  water 
  and 
  then 
  off. 
  This 
  method 
  

   ottered 
  the 
  greatest 
  probability 
  of 
  success. 
  The 
  last 
  attempt 
  to 
  catch 
  

   fish 
  was 
  made 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon, 
  in 
  22 
  fathoms, 
  on 
  tine 
  white 
  sand, 
  

   the 
  ship's 
  position 
  being 
  29° 
  40' 
  30" 
  N. 
  lat., 
  and 
  87° 
  32' 
  30" 
  W. 
  long. 
  

   The 
  soundings 
  for 
  the 
  day, 
  in 
  the 
  order 
  of 
  their 
  occurrence, 
  between 
  

  

  