Miscellaneous Intelligence. 359 



eastern route at Turk Island ; from there we shaped our course 

 to Santiago de Cuba to coal and provision the yacht. We were 

 fortunate enough to strike Cape Maysi a short time after day- 

 light, and I thus had a capital chance to observe the magnificent 

 elevated terraces (coral reef) which skirt the whole of the south- 

 ern shore of Cuba from Cape Maysi to Cape Cruz and make so 

 prominent a part of the landscape as seen from the sea. We 

 were never more than 3 miles from shore and had ample oppor- 

 tunity to trace the course of some of the terraces as far as 

 Santiago, and to note the great changes in the aspect of the 

 shores as we passed westward due to the greater denudation 

 and erosion of the limestone hills and terraces to the west of 

 Cape Maysi, which seems to be the only point where five terraces 

 are distinctly to be seen. The height of the hills back of Pt. 

 Canete where the terraces are most clearly defined, I should esti- 

 mate at 900 to 1000 feet; though the hills behind the terraces, 

 which judging from their faces are also limestone, reach a some- 

 what greater height, perhaps 1100-1200 feet. 



After coaling at Santiago de Cuba we visited Freayna, and 

 next steamed to Hogstey Reef, a regular horseshoe-shaped atoll 

 with two small Keys at the western entrance. There we passed 

 three days studying the atoll. This to me was an entirely novel 

 experience ; to be at anchor in 3 fathoms of water 45 miles from 

 any land with water 900 fathoms within 3 miles outside, sur- 

 rounded by a wall of heavy breakers pounding upon the nar- 

 row annular reef which sheltered us. I made some soundings of 

 the lagoon and of the slope of reef outside. From there we 

 returned to Crooked Island Bank to the westward of which 

 I also made some soundings to determine the slope of the 

 Bank. We next again visited Long Island, taking in the 

 southern and northern ends which I had not examined. 

 From there we passed to Great Exuma, stopping at Great 

 Exuma Harbor and sounding into deep water on our way 

 out to Conch Cut when we sailed west crossing the Bank to Green 

 Cay. From there we made the southward of N ew Providence, and 

 before going in to Nassau Harbor made some trials in deep water 

 in the Tongue of the Ocean with the "Tanner" deep-sea townet 

 in 100 and 300 fathoms, depth being 700 fathoms — after which we 

 returned to Nassau. I had on board a Tanner sounding machine 

 kindly loaned me for this trip by Col. McDonald of the Fish Com- 

 mission, and some deep-sea thermometers were also kindly sup- 

 plied by him and by Professor Mendenhall, the superintendent of 

 the IT. S. Coast Survey. I supplied myself with a number of 

 Tanner deap-sea townets and with a supply of drops and of tow- 

 nets and carried on board a Yale and Towne patent winch for wind- 

 ing the wire rope which I used in my dredging aud towing in 

 deep water. The yacht was provided with a steam capstan and 

 by increasing its diameter with logging we found no difficulty 

 in hauling in our wire rope at the rate of 8 min. to a 100 fath- 

 oms. I carried 600 fathoms of steel wire dredging rope with me 



