382 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FI8H AND FISHERIES. [12] 



decks was pretty well saturated. The last bag of our deck load of coal 

 was struck below during the day, much to the relief of every one; it 

 was certainly a great nuisance, but it carried us G40 miles on our course, 

 so we took the dirt and inconvenience philosophically. 



A sounding was made at meridian, December 8, in 2,406 fathoms, 

 ooze, (latitude 6° 25' N., longitude 50° 29' 30" W.). We did not expect 

 more than 1,000 fathoms, and intended to get a cast of the trawl, but 

 abandoned the idea, not only on account of the great depth, but a 

 heavy easterly swell and strong current combined made a successful 

 haul improbable. 



Hydrographic Office Chart No. 41 has on its face a note — u Discolored 

 water f and between latitude 5° 00' and 5° 12" N. and longitude 4G° 43' 

 a line of three soundings extending NE. by *N., and SW. by S., 12 miles 

 with 52, 64, and OS fathoms. As this was a long way from land and in 

 a region of supposed deep water, I considered it advisable to settle the 

 point, and, deviating somewhat from our course, souuded at 9 p. m. in 

 1,876 fathoms, ooze (latitude 5° 01/ 1ST., longitude 46° 44' W.), demon- 

 strating beyond question the nonexistence of shoal water in the posi- 

 tion indicated. Discolored water may have been seen, as the discharge 

 from the Amazon in the season of floods has been traced much farther 

 to the eastward. 



At 11.30 a. m., December 11, we sounded in 2,440 fathoms, ooze (lati- 

 tude 1° 53' N. ; longitude 43° 00' W.), demonstrating the fact that deep 

 water approaches the coast southward of the mouths of the Amazon. 



The next sounding was made at 10 a. m., on the 14th, in 391 fathoms, 

 sand and ooze (latitude 3° 22' S.j longitude 37° 49' W.), and the small 

 beam trawl put over, the strong trades, heavy confused sea, and rapid 

 current, making it unsafe to attempt a haul with the large and more 

 effective one. It came up at 11.50, and among the manj 7 specimens 

 were a small octopus, several specimens of Macrurus, different from any 

 I had seen ; hundreds of red shrimp of various species, Rhizocrinus, 

 a sea spider new to us, and many other forms. It was a successful haul 

 made under adverse circumstances, when the loss of the apparatus 

 seemed the most likely occurrence. 



We sounded again at 10 a. m. the following day in 1,263 fathoms (lati- 

 tude 4° 38' S. ; longitude 35° 55' W.), intending to make a haul of the 

 trawl, but the unexpected depth and boisterous weather prevented. 



The first indication of our approach to land was the discovery of a 

 couple of fishermen in a " catamaran," reported by the officer of the 

 deck as two men adrift on a raft. He seemed quite surprised that we 

 did not go to their assistance, and would doubtless have felt that the 

 shipwrecked mariners had been left to their fate, had not the subsequent 

 discovery of many more, both under sail and at anchor, enlightened 

 him as to the nature of this peculiar craft, which he now saw for the 

 first time. 



At 4.32 p. in., December 16, we made two hauls of the dredge, fol- 



