in the Twenty Years before 1895 85 



ng often a minimum depth of 1200 fathoms and more, 



the crests of these ridges are swept bare of sediment, and are 



! rock, generally calcareous and manganiferous. 



At great depths it is difficult to determine the direction 



and rate of motion of the water, but the existence of motion 



often be detected by the behaviour of the sounding wire 



vhen carrying out a deep sounding, and by the move- 



iiich it is necessary to give the ship as a compensation. 



person making the sounding must be thoroughly acquainted 



with his ship as well as with the manipulating of the wire, 



and there must be no unfavourable accidental circumstances 



eather. In the Gulf of Guinea, the sea being calm and 



no wind, I on several occasions met with a difference in the 



motion of the water when the lead passed to a greater depth 



i 1300 or 1400 fathoms. The motion which had to be given 



to the "Buccaneer," which I knew thoroughly, cannot be 



described so as to produce conviction, but to the person who 



had to order them, they admitted of no uncertainty of inter- 



ttion. In order to get quantitative n>ult> in such deep 



to and easily worked current-meter must be had. 



In the observation of ocean currents, as in that of all the 



other physical features of the sea, co-operation by several 



m in <linVrent vessels, in different but neighbouring 



local very useful. The advantages of it are well shown 



in the results of the Swedish expeditions into the Baltic, with 



h the name of Professor Pettersson is so honourably 



Could a similar fleet be despatched to the equatorial 



regions of the Atlantic, and carry out combined operations 



in the equatorial currents, each series extending over at least 



seven days and repeated at different times of tli< year, we 



should very soon know a great deal more about oc< ola 



uld Imd out a number of things which would 



rst astonish us, as we should find th.it our promt theories 



e no place for them. One of the most striking observations 



made on board th ' Buccanc. of the strong easterly 



with at a depth of not more than 25 fathoms 



nding to a considerable depth 



is confirmed mu< h further to the west 



