I)i augural Lecture 1889 5 



Maury's enthusiasm in the cause is shown by the terms 

 in which he refers to the results of this conference which was 

 assembled by his exertions. He says: "Rarely has there 

 been such a sublime spectacle presented to the scientific world : 

 all nations agreeing to unite and co-operate in carrying out 

 according to the same plan one system of philosophical research 

 with regard to the sea. Though they may be enemies in all 

 else, here they are to be friends. Every ship that navigates 

 the high seas with these charts and blank abstract logs on 

 board may henceforth be regarded as a floating observatory, 

 a temple of science." 



An epoch in the progress of this science is marked by the 

 appearance of Maury's wind and current charts, his physical 

 geography of the sea, and his sailing directions, which contain 

 the record of the first deep soundings taken by the ships of 

 the United States; and to the United States, through Maury's 

 efforts, belongs the honour of having inaugurated the first 

 regular cruise for the purpose of sounding in great depths. 

 Under his instiuctions the U.S. brig "Dolphin," commanded 

 Lieut. Lee and subsequently by Lieut. Berryman, was 

 detailed in 1851-53 to search for reported dangers in the 

 ntic and to sound regularly at intervals of 200 miles going 

 returning. The "Dolphin" was provided with Brooke's 

 -minding apparatus, and with it succeeded in obtaining speci- 

 mens of the bottom from depths of 2000 fathoms. The practi- 

 cability of the work was thus fully demonstrated and although 

 some of the earlier results through defective appliances and 

 lack of experience were not entirely trustworthy, it is impossible 

 to deny to the Americans as a nation and to Maury as an 

 individual the credit of having been the first to undertake 

 systematic deep sea exploration. 



The civil war naturally put a stop to these operation- 

 by United States' ships, but the work was quickly taken up 

 by other government-, and we find from that time to the 

 present the records of a large number of expeditions for diverse 

 scientific observation^ in all parts of the world. 



With the extension of telegraphic enterprise the investiga- 

 tion of the depth and configuration of the ocean bed bccam 



