THE LOG OF THE CRUISE OF 1905—1906. 



It was intended to start in September, 1905, to make a cruise from the 

 Irish Channel to Madeira. However, one delay after another occurred 

 in fitting out the ship, and it was not until November 1 that the Silver 

 Belle was able to sail out of Dublin Bay. The object of this cruise 

 was to visit some of the deep-water stations upon which work was 

 done in the previous year, to take water samples at these temperatures, 

 and samples of water for gas analysis, to compare with the results of 

 the previous year, which had shown some rather extraordinary pheno- 

 mena (referred to in Dr. H. N. Dickson's report), and to determine 

 whether these were constant and repeated in the year 1905, or merely 

 accidental. On this occasion it was not intended to use the tow-net 

 to collect plankton (indeed, my own special tow-net was in use by 

 Mr. Stanley Gardiner in the Indian Ocean), but trawling gear was 

 included in the outfit, with the intention of making trawling observa- 

 tions where circumstances permitted. In the ecmipment of trawl I was 

 fortunate in obtaining a good deal of excellent advice from my friend 

 Mr. Holt, of the Irish Fishery Board. 



In addition, opportunity was taken, when it occurred, to use the 

 current meter, which was kindly sent to me by Professor Pettersson 

 from Stockholm, and I really hoped to be able to make some interesting 

 observations with this instrument. However, the weather throughout 

 the cruise was so very unfavourable that it was impossible to employ 

 the current meter, except on very few occasions, and these will be 

 referred to later on. Probably it is rare to experience such weather, 

 even in the Bay of Biscay, as predominated at the close of the year 

 1905, a succession of violent storms impeding work throughout the 



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