96 EXPEDITION OF THE “ALBATROSS,” 1899-1900. 
of the “Atlas of the Pacific,” issued by the German Observatory in 1896, 
giving the lines of the specific gravity based upon a large amount of 
material accumulated by a number of exploring expeditions down to 1893. 
The observations of the ‘“ Albatross” practically agree with Plate 5 of 
the German Observatory Atlas, showing a gradual increase as we proceed 
south from San Francisco to the vicinity of the Society Islands and in 
the Paumotus, with a maximum specific gravity on the line San Francisco 
to Tahiti. In a general way we found also a somewhat greater salinity in 
the lagoons, as at Rangiroa, Fakarava, Makemo, in the .Paumotus, as well 
as in the Tongas, Fiji, the lagoons of the Ellice, Gilbert, Marshall, and 
Carolines, at Funafuti, Taritari, Jaluit, Rongelab, Wotje, Arhno, Ualan, 
Ponapi, Truk, and Guam in the Ladrones. 
As we proceed westward from the Society Islands there is a gradual and 
very marked diminution in the specific gravity, reaching its minimum in 
the Fijis. Thence it again diminishes rapidly northward at the Ellice, 
Gilbert, and reaches on that line its minimum in the southeastern Marshall 
Islands. It rises again in the northern Marshall Islands and going west 
from Jaluit is somewhat less along the Carolines, falling again as we go 
north to the Ladrones, and thence to Japan, with the exception of a slight 
rise to the west off the Bonin Islands. 
The Bottom Deposits collected by the “ Challenger” in the Pacific. 
The chart: given by Murray and Renard,’ showing in general the nature 
of the bottom deposits of the Pacific, naturally does not give the interesting 
details for each sounding, showing the relation of the constitution of the 
bottom deposits to the depth. As the line run by the “ Albatross” shows 
in a remarkable manner the same correspondence which had been first 
observed by Sir John Murray between the amount of carbonate of lime 
present and the depth, I have, for purposes of comparison, collected the 
data of the principal stations occupied by the “ Challenger” in the Pacific, 
to show how closely the later observations of the “ Albatross” agree with 
the records of the “ Challenger.” 
1 Deutsche Seewarte, Stiller Ozean, Hin Atlas v. 31 Karten, Hamburg, 1896. 
2 Chart 1: Deep-sea Deposits, “ Challenger” Expedition, Murray and Renard. 
