W: P. TrominidgecaeDeip Met Eitplevedions at 
of the sea have been removed, and its surface measured with all 
desirable accuracy, the veil of mystery still obscures its depths. 
The bottom has been reached at various points, and the world has 
just witnessed the wonderful stride in human progress, to which 
the first movements in this new field of scientific investigation 
have led. It is therefore legitimate, now, to review what 
been done; not with a view of criticising the works of those 
who have been foremost in these discoveries, but with the better 
motive of seeking for truth and stimulating to renewed efforts 
those who have already done so much, by suggesting probable 
causes of error in the results which have been obtained; so that 
new methods may be devised, if necessary, for establishing with 
the certainty which science and the popular mind now require 
the true form of that portion of the solid crust of the earth, 
which lies concealed beneath the waters of the ocean. 
The question of the character of the thin covering of the bot- 
tom, has undoubtedly been settled by the examination of speci- 
mens brought to the surface. And here we must digress some- 
what to refer to the labors of those who were first instrumental 
Davis, U.S. N., while running a line of deep-sea soundings across 
.e Gulf Stream, under the direction of the Superintendent of the 
Coast Survey, obtained one cast of 1350 fathoms, and brought 
u 
H. S. Stellwagen, U.S. Navy. With regard to this sounding, 
slack, so that the quartermaster 
could haul it in hand over hand.” ‘‘It appeared to fall off again 
from k the remainder of the line, 
k, 
amounting ms” (in all). “The cup came up fil 
mounting to 1350 fathoms” (in all). Chae 2 eee 
, for 1845, 1846, 1847, 1848. 
the 
© Sea ; of Coast ; 
see oe rte theyre 2m a ere eeeeee ecara 25: 
« ma - 8 from in this section, were first 
Collections of specimens of the bottom from M. Bache, United States 
commenced jeutenant nding George M 
Mab wit eats tone coda every year since 1844, placed in small bottles for easy 
‘inspection, and duly labelled. It was the intention of that lamented officer to have 
classified them during the past winter, and to have pissed (vse ee en a ae 
Upon an off-shore chart on a suitable scale, thus g' : 
Ya nds $e hd tao ekeocornpie ersmination of these specimens could hardly fail 
