June 22, 1883.] 



SCIENCE. 



565 



sive, and important of indastries, and to pro- 

 mote that careful collection and discussion of 

 facts b^' means of which alone we can hope 

 to deal in a satisfactory manner with the 

 man}' difficult, practical, and scientific prob- 

 lems connected with fish and fisheries." At 

 the banquet he laid especial stress upon the 

 practical results which he hoped might result 

 to the fisheries, and upon the importance of 

 stimulating every possible scientific invention 

 for the saving of life at sea. 



The remark made bj' one of the speakers at 

 the banquet — ' ' that, by consenting to act as 

 president of the exhibition, the Prince of 

 Wales had done more than anj- man had ever 

 done before for the fisheries of the world ' ' — 

 sounded strangely to an American ; but, dis- 

 counting the courtier element in this speech, 

 the fact remains, that much of the success of 

 the exhibition, and of its consequent possible 

 benefit to Great Britain, is due to the active 

 part which the Prince has taken in its interest. 



The newspapers, from Punch to the Times, 

 be they social, commercial, literarj', comic, or 

 scientific in their scope, are full of the exhibi- 

 tion. Many of them announce special num- 

 bers, or series of special articles, devoted to 

 its discussion ; while at least two periodicals, 

 one an illustrated monthly, are established as 

 its special exponents. The Times, which Em- 

 erson has told us thinks for all Englishmen, and 

 ' is their understanding and day's ideal da- 

 guerrotyped,' gave an entire page on Mondaj" 

 to a description of the opening, and for several 

 daj's has been printing editorials discussing 

 the subject from various stand-points. It has 

 printed a column article upon the exhibit of the 

 United States, and promises two more special 

 articles. In the first it is remarked, that, in 

 varietur and completeness of illustration, the 

 collection from the United States is not sur- 

 passed bj' that of an}' of the foreign contribu- 

 tors. This verdict is confirmed by most of the 

 editors, and in especiall}' strong terms b}' 

 Land and water and the Field, the two fishing- 

 journals ; the latter remarking, ' ' The whole 

 American court affords food for studj', and, 

 for completeness, is beyond comparison the 

 best in the exhibition, whether as to fishing- 

 vessels or fishing-gear." Especiall}' gratify- 

 ing is the letter sent to the Times by Gen. A. 

 Pitt Rivers, the ethnologist, who draws atten- 

 tion to the fact that this is the onlj' department 

 in the whole exhibition which is arranged his- 

 toricall}'. 



In the Chinese, Japanese, Scandinavian, and 

 Dutch courts there are objects which the scien- 

 tific student of the arts of life may pick out 



and arrange in their proper order in his own 

 mind ; but in that of the United States, fol- 

 lowing the method adopted in the National 

 museum at Washington, something more is 

 attempted to bring the department into har- 

 mony with modern ideas. " Models showing 

 the development of the art of ship-building 

 have been arranged in sequence ; the various 

 contrivances for catching fish have been shown 

 in association with the rude appliances of 

 savages, from which they sprang ; and the 

 improvements and varieties of recent times 

 have been placed as far as possible in chrono- 

 logical order. This gives to the exhibition a 

 A-alue which is apart from commerce, and an 

 interest which is bej'ond the mere require- 

 ments of fish-culture ; and it may be regarded 

 as one out of the man}' indications of the waj' 

 in which the enlightened government of the 

 United States marks its appreciation of the 

 demands of science." 



The press is full of plans for the pi-actical 

 outcome of the exhibition. Some of the edit- 

 ors expect to see fish cheaper ; some, to see the 

 cheaper kinds of fish coming into general use ; 

 some, to see fish of all kinds more generally 

 used ; some, to see an immense increase in the 

 yield of the fisheries ; some, to see legislation 

 stricter and more strongl}' enforced. Profes- 

 sor Huxley, when asked what his expectations 

 from the exhibition were, replied that he had 

 none at present beyond a general awakening 

 of interest in fish-culture and the fisheries, from 

 which, in time, some good would certainly 

 result. The conference to be held in June, for 

 the discussion of various questions of practi- 

 cal and scientific interest, will doubtless be one 

 of the most important featui-es of the exhibi- 

 tion. Professor Huxley will deliver the open- 

 ing address ; and the words of wisdom which 

 shall then be uttered must necessarily have 

 much influence in determining what are to be 

 the benefits of this great international con- 

 vention to Great Britain and to the world at 

 large. 



RECENT DEEP-SEA SOUNDINGS OFF 

 THE ATLANTIC COAST OF THE UNIT- 

 ED STATES.^ 



The explorations of the Gulf Stream, insti- 

 tuted bj' Alexander Dallas Bache, superin- 

 tendent of the coast-snrve}', and carried on 

 under his direction between the years 1845 

 and 1860, though necessarily to a great ex- 



1 Abstract of Appendix no. 19. Coast and geodetic survey- 

 report for 1882. Communicated by tbe superintendent of tbe 

 IF. S. coast and geodetic survey, Washington, May, 1883. 



