[3] WOEK OF STEAMER ALBATROSS. 607 



You will please arrange to have him mess in the ward-room, and 

 give him comfortable accommodations in any stateroom that may be 

 vacant. 



Mr. Townsend is an accomplished collector and naturalist, and has 

 been in the service about three years. 

 Yours truly, 



S. F. BAIED. 

 Capt. Z. L. Tanner, 



Commanding Steamer Albatross, Navy-Yard, City. 



Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, 



Washington, D. C, January 18, 1886. 

 Dear Sir: I learn from Lieutenant-Commander Tanner, commanding 

 the IT. S. Fish Commission steamer Albatross, that it is your intention 

 that the vessel shall cruise in the vicinity of the Bahama Islands and the 

 Gulf Stream, engaging in work connected with the Commission, and 

 that it will not interfere with this work for Lieutenant-Commander Tan- 

 ner to fill several important gaps in the lines of deep-sea soundings in 

 that vicinity, provided that the additional coal required for this purpose 

 can be transferred from the Navy Department. 



I have therefore to request that, if practicable, the necessary sound- 

 ings indicated in the accompanying chart by red lines may be taken, 

 and to state that the actual amount of coal consumed by the Albatross 

 for steaming purposes, while so employed, will be issued to that vessel 

 at Key West, not exceeding in amount 200 tons. 

 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



J. G. WALKEK, 



Chief of Bureau. 

 Prof. Spencer F. Baird, 



Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, Washington, I). C. 



We passed Cape Henry at 2.40 p. m. with clear weather and moderate 

 NW. gale. Cautionary off-shore signals were flying at Norfolk, Fort- 

 ress Monroe, and Cape Henry. The wind continued during the night, 

 and at meridian the following day backed to SW., blowing a fresh gale 

 until noon of the 22d, gradually decreasing in force to a moderate 

 breeze from west in the evening. 



We commenced sounding to the northward of Great Abaco on the 

 morning of the 23d, in 557 fathoms, latitude 28° 41' N., longitude 78° 

 03' W., and ran a line to the eastward, reaching a depth of 2,845 fath- 

 oms, in latitude 28° 43' N., longitude 76° 26' W. 



From 5 to 5.30 p. m. we swung ship under steam, observing azimuths 

 of the sun on every other point of the compass in order to ascertain 

 errors due to local attraction. 



We then steamed to the southward, and at 12.51 a.m. on the 24th 

 sounded in 3,196 fathoms, latitude 28° 34' 42" N., longitude 76° 10' 25" 

 W. This depth was a surprise to us, as the soundings on the chart to ■ 



