40 DEEP-SEA SOUNDING. 



It was well known that the Sultan's virtuous act in 

 voluntarily surrendering these poor slaves to the English 

 was inspired, not by the promptings of humanity, but by 

 feelings of resentment towards a wealthy planter to whom 

 it was said they were consigned. This planter, however, 

 denied positively that he had sent for the slaves, and he 

 appeared very much amused at the Sultan's action. 



The English sailors were of course greatly pleased at 

 this episode, as they receive five pounds for each slave 

 delivered at Zanzibar. The commander told me he 

 would " worry the life " out of some one if those who 

 had been kidnapped while crossing the island were not 

 delivered up to him. 



Visits were exchanged with the young prince, who 

 impressed us very favorably. He was intelligent, refined, 

 and the husband of only one wife, to whom he was 

 greatly attached. 



On the 13th we sailed for Zanzibar, arriving there on 

 the i6th. Here we remained until the 25th of July, 

 when, having filled up with coal and provisions and re- 

 ceived on board a quantity of sounding wire which had 

 been sent out from England, we sailed for the Seychelle 

 Islands and resumed the work of deep-sea sounding. 

 Two casts were taken daily,, as a rule, one early in the 

 morning and the other in the afternoon. A strong 

 easterly current was found nearly the whole distance, at 

 times amounting to one knot an hour. 



On the night of the ist of August, having reached 

 the vicinity of an outlying coral reef, we anchored in 



