CROSS THE SOUTH ATLANTIC. 25 



brought up the rare Terebratula rosea, and a small 

 shell of a new genus, allied to Rissoa. The re- 

 mainder of the day and part of the succeeding one 

 were spent in a fruitless search for a shoal said to 

 exist in the neighbourhood, to which Capt. Stanley's 

 attention had been drawn hy Capt. Broughton, of 

 H.M.S. Curacoa. 



At one P.M. of each day, when the weather was 

 favourable, the ship was hove-to for the purpose of 

 obtaining observations on the temperature of the 

 water at considerable depths, under the superinten- 

 dence of Lieut. Dayman. As these were continued 

 during om' outward voyage as far as Van Diemen's 

 Land, and the number of observations amounted to 

 69, the results will more clearly be understood if 

 exhibited in a tabular form, for which the reader is 

 referred to the Appendix. " Two of Sixe's thermo- 

 meters were attached, one at the bottom of the line 

 of 370 fathoms, the other 150 fathoms higher up. 

 The depth recorded is that given by Massey's patent 

 sounding machine. As the same quantity of line 

 was always used, the difference of depth of each day 

 should be trifling, varying only in proportion to the 

 ship's drift ; yet on several occasions the depth re- 

 corded by the machine gives as much as 100 fathoms 

 short of the quantity of line let out."* 



While engaged in sounding, a process which 

 usually occupied three-quarters of an hour, a boat 

 was always at my service when birds were about the 



* Lieut. Dayman, R.N. 



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