The Cruise of the " Princesse Alice" 267 



in a distance of less than five miles, taken in connection with 

 the nature of the ground disclosed by the trawl, furnishes a 

 clue which; if followed, might lead up to the Chaucer or an 

 independent bank. It must be remembered that a set of 14 

 iniK-s to the eastward in a day's run would in these latitudes 

 be nothing extravagant. Admitting that the bank does not 

 lie to the eastward of its reported position, there remains the 

 possibility that it may lie on its reported position or to the 

 westward of it. In view of the lateness of the season no more 

 time could be spared, and the further elucidation of this 

 question is postponed to a future occasion. Meantime, it is 

 perhaps not impossible that the captain of the "Chaucer" 

 may be still alive, and that these lines may meet his eyes. 

 If so, it would be interesting if he would furnish some inform- 

 ation about the soundings which stand in his name. 



( )n the second day of the search, September 6, the trawl 

 was put over in water which according to the sounding should 

 have been over 1300 fathoms, but it dragged into shallow 

 water and hooked on to the bottom. For long it appeared to 

 be certain that it would have to be left there ; but, thanks to 

 the Prince's great experience in these matters and to his 

 unwearied patience, it was at last disengaged, and furnished 

 ,1 remarkable haul of black manganese-covered coral, which 

 reminded me of the first haul in the "Challenger" on similar 

 ground to the south-west of the Canary Islands. It is such 

 Around that forms the foundation of oceanic shoals. This 



18 able to observe and to study in tin s.s. ' Dacia" belonging 

 to tin- India Rubber Company of Silvertown. in the year 1883, 

 and an account of tin- investigations appeared in the columns 

 of The 7Vm<s .it the end of that vrar. I had always been 

 unable to follow the sedinn-nt.iry theory oi the loimdation of 

 coral isl.mds beyond the point where the accumulation of 



ment reaches such proportions as to oppose n-i-t.mce to 

 the nd.il wave; because resistance to a wave pi oduces a current, 

 and ;it prevents the deposition of >ediment. and this 



s place even in very deep water. But the banks then 



vered and inv<-n-attd showed that the current \vlmh 

 ents the acrumnlation ,,f dead *. diment brings food to 



