﻿760 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [2] 
  

  

  object 
  ? 
  We 
  are 
  about 
  to 
  answer 
  this 
  question 
  by 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  facts 
  

   which 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  deep-sea 
  sediments 
  has 
  furnished. 
  

  

  A 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  sediments 
  recently 
  collected 
  in 
  the 
  deep 
  sea 
  shows 
  

   that 
  their 
  nature 
  and 
  mode 
  of 
  formation, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  their 
  geographical 
  

   and 
  bathymetrical 
  distribution, 
  permit 
  deductions 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  which 
  

   have 
  a 
  great 
  and 
  increasing 
  importance 
  from 
  a 
  geological 
  point 
  of 
  view. 
  

   In 
  making 
  known 
  the 
  composition 
  of 
  these 
  deposits 
  and 
  their 
  distribu- 
  

   tion, 
  the 
  first 
  outlines 
  of 
  a 
  geological 
  map 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  

   will 
  be 
  sketched. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  place 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  detailed 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  contri- 
  

   butions 
  to 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  terrigenous 
  deposits 
  in 
  deep 
  water 
  near 
  

   land, 
  or 
  of 
  those 
  true 
  deep-sea 
  deposits 
  far 
  removed 
  from 
  land, 
  which 
  

   may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  form 
  the 
  special 
  subject 
  of 
  this 
  communication. 
  From 
  

   the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  expeditions 
  undertaken 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  ascertaining 
  

   the 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  ocean, 
  small 
  quantities 
  of 
  mud 
  have 
  been 
  collected 
  by 
  

   the 
  sounding 
  lead 
  and 
  briefly 
  described. 
  We 
  may 
  recall 
  in 
  this 
  con- 
  

   nection 
  the 
  experiments 
  of 
  Eoss 
  and 
  the 
  observations 
  of 
  Hooker 
  and 
  

   Maury. 
  

  

  These 
  investigations, 
  made 
  with 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  imperfect 
  appliances, 
  

   immediately 
  fixed 
  the 
  attention, 
  without, 
  however, 
  giving 
  sufficient 
  

   information 
  on 
  which 
  to 
  establish 
  any 
  general 
  conclusions 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  na- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  the 
  deposits 
  or 
  their 
  distribution 
  in 
  the 
  depths 
  of 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  When 
  systematic 
  soundings 
  were 
  undertaken 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  estab- 
  

   lishing 
  telegraphic 
  communication 
  between 
  Europe 
  and 
  America, 
  the 
  

   attention 
  of 
  many 
  distinguished 
  men 
  was 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  importance, 
  

   in 
  a 
  biological 
  and 
  geological 
  sense, 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  of 
  mud 
  brought 
  

   up 
  from 
  great 
  depths. 
  The 
  observations 
  of 
  Wallich, 
  Huxley, 
  Agassiz, 
  

   Baily, 
  Pourtales, 
  Carpenter, 
  Thomson, 
  and 
  many 
  others, 
  while 
  not 
  neg- 
  

   lecting 
  mineralogical 
  and 
  chemical 
  composition, 
  deal 
  with 
  this 
  only 
  in 
  

   a 
  subordinate 
  manner. 
  The 
  small 
  quantities 
  of 
  each 
  specimen 
  at 
  their 
  

   command, 
  and 
  the 
  limited 
  areas 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  collected, 
  did 
  

   not 
  permit 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  any 
  general 
  laws 
  as 
  to 
  their 
  composi- 
  

   tion 
  or 
  geographical 
  and 
  bathymetrical 
  distribution. 
  These 
  early 
  re- 
  

   searches, 
  however, 
  directed 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  geological 
  importance 
  of 
  

   deep-sea 
  deposits, 
  and 
  prepared 
  the 
  way 
  for 
  the 
  expeditions 
  organized 
  

   with 
  the 
  special 
  object 
  of 
  a 
  scientific 
  exploration 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  ocean 
  

   basins. 
  

  

  The 
  expedition 
  of 
  the 
  Challenger 
  takes 
  the 
  first 
  rank 
  in 
  these 
  inves- 
  

   tigations. 
  During 
  that 
  expedition 
  a 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  material 
  was 
  col- 
  

   lected 
  and 
  brought 
  to 
  England 
  for 
  fuller 
  study 
  under 
  the 
  charge 
  of 
  Mr. 
  

   Murray, 
  who 
  has 
  in 
  several 
  preliminary 
  papers 
  pointed 
  out 
  the 
  compo- 
  

   sition 
  and 
  varieties 
  of 
  deposits 
  which 
  are 
  now 
  forming 
  over 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  

   the 
  great 
  oceans. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  arrive 
  at 
  results 
  as 
  general 
  as 
  possible, 
  

   it 
  was 
  resolved 
  to 
  investigate 
  the 
  subject 
  from 
  the 
  biological, 
  mineral- 
  

   ogical, 
  and 
  chemical 
  points 
  of 
  view, 
  and 
  M. 
  Eenard 
  was 
  associated 
  with 
  

   Mr. 
  Murray 
  in 
  the 
  work. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  valuable 
  collections 
  and 
  

  

  