300 A. Agassiz — Expedition to the Maldives. 



There the sand lanes and patches which separate them, and 

 which finally end in covering the bottom, usually hegin. 



The connection of the northern Maldives with Minikoi and 

 the Laccadives, as well as the relation of the latter with the 

 southwestern coast of India, is fairly well developed by exist- 

 ing soundings.* 



A good line of soundings also runs between the Northern 

 Maldives and South India connecting with the numerous 

 soundings taken off the west coast of Ceylon. \ On our way 

 back to Ceylon we filled a few important gaps in this line 

 which clearly developed the existence of a wide tongue of the 

 ocean coining from the south with a depth of over 1,500 fms., 

 reaching north of the 9th degree of northern latitude and 

 separating Minikoi as well as the Maldives from the Indian 

 Continental slope. 



We did not attempt to check any of the soundings. Within 

 the atolls they exist in sufficient number for all theoretical and 

 practical purposes, and for a party not sufficiently numerous 

 and not properly equipped for the most delicate surveying 

 operations it would have been hopeless to add any exact infor- 

 mation to that already existing. Our soundings were limited 

 to filling gaps in the existing information, such as taking the 

 depths of the channels separating the groups of atolls as well 

 as developing the slopes of the eastern and western faces of the 

 Maldivian plateau. 



Our soundings showed a greatest depth of 251 fms. in the 

 center of Gallandu Channel, which separates Ihavandiffulu 

 from Tiladummati ; 769 fms. in the center of the channel 

 between Miladummadulu and Fadiffolu. The Admiralty Charts 

 indicate depths varying between 125 and 135 fms. in Moresby 

 Channel between north and middle Malosmadnlu, and depths 

 varying between 100 and 140 fms. in the channel between the 

 latter and South Malosmadnlu. We found 302 fathoms be- 

 tween Goidu (Horsburgh atoll) and South Malosmadulu. In 

 the center of Kardiva Channel on the two sides of Kardiva 

 island we obtained 312 and 298 fms. with 372 fms. one and 

 a half miles south of FadifTolu atoll. One hundred fathoms 

 was obtained in the center of the channel between Gafaru and 

 North Male. Between North and South Male in the cen- 

 ter of Wadu Channel we got a depth of 260 fathoms. In the 

 center of Fulidu Channel separating South Male from Felidu 

 atoll we found 374 fathoms. In the channel north of Wattaru 

 Reef we found 283 fathoms; in Wattaru channel between 

 Wattaru reefs and Mulaku atoll 253 fathoms, and between 

 Mulaku and Kolomadulu the depth in the center of the channel 



* See B. A. Charts Nos. 2737 and 2738. 

 f See H. O. Chart No. 1.591. 



