THALASSOLOGHCAL NOTES ON THE NORTH SEA. 319 



♦expeditions liave already acliieved wonderful results, and 

 Professor Hull lias drawn the most important deductions of 

 like nature. But we are still shivering on the shores of an 

 nnexplored ocean. In order to confer due honour to this 

 vast subject I venture to ask the members of the Victoria 

 Institute to consider whether we might not very properly 

 introduce the two new terms Thalassology and Thalasso- 

 GRAPHY, instead of Geology and Geography of the sea. 

 which would certainly be misnomers. In describing regions 

 of the sea which were emerged at the period of which we are 

 speaking, perhaps the prefix Paleo would confer clearness, 

 not otherwise so easy to obtain, and obviate much circum- 

 locution. 



§ I. — Norwegian Coast. 



Evidence of important suhmercjence of Norway, once entirehf 

 covered loitli ice. — Let us land at Christiania, and starting 

 thence make a coasting tour of Norway, for many hundreds 

 of miles, passing through i\\Q Skager Rack into the North 

 Sea, and reaching a parallel of latitude corresponding to 

 that of the extremity of the Shetland Isles, by which voyage 

 we shall fall in with Professor Hull's " Gulf Stream." 



Thus early it is well to point out that it is a characteristic 

 feature of the Norwegian fjords to have numerous ramifica- 

 tions on a large scale, so that it is difficult to meet with an 

 isolated fjord, and each branch bears its own special name ; 

 since they are often so large it is a difficult matter to know 

 which of them to select in naming the region. For the 

 present purpose it Avould be both monotonous and useless 

 to stop to examine more than a few of the principal ones.* 



Christiania fjord. Lat. 59° — 59° 50' N. — On embarking 

 from the head of this fjord, at the quay of the beautiful 

 capital of Norway, the water is shallow, only 7 to 10 fathoms 



* During the mission confided to me by tlie Ministry of Public 

 Instruction at Rome, to the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878, on 

 behalf of the Royal Italian Industrial Museum at Turin, Mr. "W. 

 Christophersen, the Royal Commissioner for Norway, and Mr. N. 

 Christensen, Secretary of the Commission, presented a copy of the 

 maofnificent topographical and geological surveys of Norway, and the 

 charts of the coasts and fishing grounds published by the Government. 

 Without the aid of such invaluable documents I could not have pretended 

 to make the accompanying studies, much less to claim confidence in my 

 data, as I do ; I here take the ooportunity of publicly returning the most 

 hearty thanks to those so kindred minds, whose warm friendship and 

 noble character I shall never forget. 



