ON DEEP-SEA SOUNDING. 361 



ment sent the gun-boat Paraense with us to 

 take soundings, but the coal would not carry 

 her the whole way, and over the remainder 

 of it we were left to our own resources for 

 soundings. Wire soundings had been taken 

 over the route previously by Mr. Galloway, 

 in a steamer chartered for the purpose by 

 the Western and Brazilian Telegraph Company, 

 and again in the Paraense^ so as to give a 

 general idea of the line to be taken for the 

 cable ; but still it was very important that 

 soundings should be taken during the actual 

 laying. Accordingly, Captain Edington arranged 

 that my sounding-wheel should be set up over 

 the stern of the Hooper, and soundings were taken 

 every two hours, without stopping the ship. 

 A 30 Ibs. weight was hung by a couple of 

 fathoms of cord from the ring at the end of 

 the wire. Then the wheel was simply let go, 

 with a resistance of about 6 Ibs. on its cir- 

 cumference, the ship running at the rate of 

 4^ knots, relatively to the surface-water (or at 

 6 knots relatively to the bottom) ; and after, 



