ijo 



On the Composition of Oceanic 



take bearings from ; still, with careful work, it was always 

 possible to find the spot. Thus, on the day in question, 

 2ist September 1878, the first sounding gave exactly 104 

 fathoms, and everything was done to drop the anchor in the 

 same spot; yet, when it was let go, it took the ground in 60 

 fathoms, the vessel having drifted, owing to the south-westerly 

 breeze, towards the north shore. The cable was immediately 

 brought to the winch and the anchor hove up, though it 



Loch Fyne. Section V. Knapdale to Cowal through Barmore and 

 Black Harbour. 



required a good deal of humouring to get it out of the ground, 

 The anchor was not brought quite up to the bows, but, when 

 about 5 fathoms of cable were still out, the yacht was steamed 

 out to the proper position and the anchor immediately dropped. 

 and the depth, as given by the wire-rope cable, was as nearly 

 as possible 104 fathoms. More cable was then given, until 

 150 fathoms were out. It must be remembered that I was using 

 a small kedge-anchor of ordinary type and weighing half a 



Loch Fyne. Section VI. Knapdale to Cowal through widest part. 



hundredweight, and my object was simply to anchor the 

 vessel in the deepest water so as to be able to take temperatures 

 and collect samples of water at leisure and without having to 

 manoeuvre the vessel. Although the anchor had not dragged, 

 the yacht had tailed before the south-west wir^d so far toward 

 the north shore that when I put over the sounding-line with a 

 number of deep-sea thermometers, bottom was struck at 60 

 fathoms. On getting up the anchor, and after heaving in the 



