Agassiz — Albatross Expedition to the Eastern Pacific. 143 



Art. YIII. — On the Progress of the Albatross Expedition 

 to the Eastern Pacific ; by Alexander Agassiz. 



[Extract from a letter to Hon. George M. Bowers, U. S. Fish Commissioner, 

 dated Lima, Nov. 28, 1904.] 



The Albatross, under command of Lieut. Commander L. M. 

 Garrett, left San Francisco on the 6tli of October and arrived 

 at Panama the 22d. On her way along the coast Professor 

 C. A. Kofoid took advantage of the opportunity for making 

 surface hauls with the tow nets as well as vertical hauls, gen- 

 erally to a depth of 300 fathoms. A large amount of pelagic 

 material was thus collected, not at a great distance from the 

 coast however. Off Mariato Point the Albatross made two 

 hauls in the vicinity of the stations where in 1891 she found 

 " modern green sand," iu about 500 and 700 fathoms. It was 

 interesting to find the green sand again, as the specimens col- 

 lected in 1891 were lost in transit to Washington. I am fortu- 

 nate in having as assistant for this trip Professor Kofoid, who 

 has had great experience in studying the Protozoa both in 

 fresh water and at sea. He has been given charge of the col- 

 lection of Padiolarians and Diatoms and of other minute 

 pelagic organisms ; and he will prepare a report on the results 

 of that branch of the Expedition. 



The Albatross arrived at Panama on the 22d, she was coaled 

 and provisioned at once, on my arrival at Panama on the 1st 

 of November I found her ready for sea, and on the 2d we left 

 for Mariato Point to make a few additional trawl hauls in the 

 region of the green sand. In both the hauls made off Mariato 

 Point green sand was found, but not in the quantity obtained 

 in 1891. 



From Mariato Point we made a straight line of soundings 

 towards Chatham Island in the Galapagos, intersecting the 

 ring of soundings we made northeast of the Islands in 1891. 

 The deepest point of the line (1900 fathoms) was found about 

 100 miles S.W. of Mariato Point. The bottom then con- 

 tinued to show about 1700 fathoms for nearly 200 miles and 

 then shoaled very gradually to 1418 fathoms about 80 miles from 

 Chatham Island. From this point it sloped quite rapidly, 

 the 1000-fathom line being not more than 60 miles from Chat- 

 ham Island. We ran a short line south of Hood Island 

 and found a somewhat steeper slope to that face of the Gala- 

 pagos, reaching over 1700 fathoms in a distance of less than 

 50 miles ; the bottom then remained comparatively flat, attain- 

 ing a depth of 2000 fathoms about 100 miles farther south. 

 This depth we carried eastward on a line to Aguja Point. When 

 half way the soundings had increased, to over 2200 fathoms, 

 and remained at about that depth to within 60 miles of the 



