NARRATIVE OF THE CRUISE. 167 



CHAPTER V. 



Bermuda to the Azores— The Ophiuroidea— The Azores— The Azores to Madeira— Madeira to the Cape Verde Islands 



— Saint Vincent and San Iago. 



Bermuda to the Azores. 



The second visit of the Challenger to Bermuda lasted from the 31st May till the 13th 

 June, and during this time as well as during the visit in April, the Members of the 

 Expedition were hospitably received by the Governor, Sir Henry Lefroy, the naval and 

 military officers stationed on the island, and the inhabitants ; every one being interested 

 in the objects of the Expedition, and anxious to render assistance. 



The ship left Bermuda for the Azores at 6 a.m. on the 13th June, obtaining the 

 usual observations on the passage across, and maintaining as nearly as practicable 

 the great circle route. On the 1st July at daylight the summit of Pico Island was seen, 

 and at 9 a.m. Fayal. At 4.45 p.m. the ship anchored in Horta Bay. 



On this section sixteen soundings, twelve serial temperature soundings, two dredgings, 

 and seven traw lings were obtained (see Sheet 6). 



The wind during the passage was from the southward nearly the whole time, with 

 moderately smooth water, and on no occasion did it exceed a force of 7. The weather 

 was on the whole fine, with occasional passing showers ; but the atmosphere was very 

 damp and oppressive, the mean daily relative humidity being seldom under 95. 



No accident occurred either in taking soundings or temperatures, nor was any dredg- 

 ing rope lost, but the trawl came up fouled twice. On the lGth June, at Station 60, the 

 trawl had evidently not reached the bottom, as it had no mud in the cod or on the leaden 

 weights attached to the trawl irons; and on the 27th, at Station 71, the trawl-net and 

 25 fathoms of rope were twisted round the beam when it arrived at the surface. 



The soundings in this section show that all indications of the existence of the Bermuda 

 peak cease in a northeasterly direction at a distance of 90 miles from its summit ; that 

 the Azores stand on a bank which rises gradually, though not uniformly, from the bed 

 of the ocean, at a distance of 500 miles from Fayal ; and that between the bases of the 

 Bermuda and Azores elevations the bottom is fairly level, the mean depth being 2700 

 fathoms (see Diagram 3). 



The temperature of the water at the bottom was again remarkably uniform, when the 

 depth exceeded 1800 fathoms, the mean result being 36 0, 3 and the extremes 36° - 5 and 

 36°'2, or a range of merely o- 3. 



The mean temperature of the surface water was 74° at Bermuda, decreasing 

 gradually to 69° at the Azores. 



