﻿A. 
  A 
  gassiz— 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  "Albatross" 
  33 
  

  

  Art. 
  V. 
  — 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  u 
  Albatross" 
  in 
  the 
  Pacific 
  

   Ocean 
  / 
  by 
  Alexander 
  Agassiz. 
  

  

  [Extract 
  from 
  a 
  letter 
  to 
  the 
  Hon. 
  George 
  M. 
  Bowers, 
  IT. 
  S. 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  

   Fish 
  and 
  Fisheries. 
  Washington, 
  D. 
  0., 
  dated 
  Papeete 
  Harhor, 
  Tahiii 
  Island, 
  

   30 
  September, 
  1899, 
  on 
  the 
  trip 
  of 
  the 
  '' 
  Albatross 
  " 
  from 
  San 
  Fraucisco 
  to 
  

   Papeete 
  ] 
  

  

  I 
  arrived 
  at 
  San 
  Francisco 
  on 
  August 
  20th, 
  and 
  after 
  

   consulting 
  with 
  Commander 
  Moser 
  we 
  decided 
  to 
  leave 
  on 
  

   Wednesday, 
  the 
  23d. 
  Everything 
  shipped 
  from 
  tne 
  East 
  had 
  

   arrived 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  tow 
  nets 
  sent 
  me 
  by 
  Dr. 
  

   Kramer, 
  and 
  the 
  deep-sea 
  nets 
  kindly 
  ordered 
  for 
  me 
  by 
  

   Professor 
  Chun 
  of 
  Leipzig. 
  Captain 
  Moser 
  and 
  I 
  decided 
  not 
  

   to 
  make 
  any 
  soundings 
  nor 
  do 
  any 
  deep-sea 
  work 
  until 
  we 
  had 
  

   passed 
  beyond 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  soundings 
  already 
  run 
  by 
  the 
  

   Albatross 
  and 
  Thetis 
  between 
  California 
  and 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  

   Islands. 
  

  

  In 
  latitude 
  31° 
  10' 
  N\, 
  and 
  longitude 
  125° 
  W., 
  we 
  made 
  our 
  

   first 
  sounding 
  in 
  1955 
  fathoms, 
  about 
  320 
  miles 
  from 
  Point 
  

   Conception, 
  the 
  nearest 
  land. 
  We 
  occupied 
  26 
  stations 
  until 
  

   we 
  reached 
  the 
  northern 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  plateau 
  from 
  which 
  rise 
  

   the 
  Marquesas 
  Islands, 
  having 
  run 
  from 
  station 
  No. 
  1, 
  a 
  distance 
  

   of 
  3800 
  miles, 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  line. 
  

  

  At 
  station 
  No. 
  2 
  the 
  depth 
  had 
  increased 
  to 
  2368 
  fathoms, 
  

   the 
  nearest 
  land, 
  Guadeloupe 
  Island, 
  being 
  about 
  450 
  miles, 
  

   and 
  Point 
  Conception 
  nearly 
  500 
  miles, 
  distant. 
  The 
  depth 
  

   gradually 
  increased 
  to 
  2628, 
  2740, 
  2810, 
  2881, 
  3003, 
  and 
  3088 
  

   fathoms," 
  the 
  last 
  in 
  lat. 
  16° 
  38' 
  K, 
  long. 
  130° 
  14' 
  W., 
  the 
  

   deepest 
  sounding 
  w 
  T 
  e 
  obtained 
  thus 
  far 
  in 
  the 
  unexplored 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  through 
  which 
  we 
  were 
  passing. 
  From 
  that 
  

   point 
  the 
  depths 
  varied 
  from 
  2883 
  to 
  2690 
  and 
  2776, 
  diminish- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  2583, 
  and 
  gradually 
  passing 
  to 
  2440, 
  2463, 
  and' 
  2475 
  

   fathoms 
  until 
  off 
  the 
  Marquesas, 
  in 
  lat. 
  7° 
  58' 
  S., 
  long. 
  139° 
  08' 
  

   W.j 
  the 
  depth 
  became 
  2287 
  fathoms. 
  It 
  then 
  passed 
  to 
  1929, 
  

   1802, 
  and 
  1040 
  fathoms 
  in 
  lat. 
  8° 
  41' 
  S., 
  long. 
  139° 
  46' 
  W., 
  

   Nukuhiva 
  Island 
  being 
  about 
  20 
  miles 
  distant. 
  Between 
  

   Xukuhiva 
  and 
  Houa-Houna 
  (Ua-Huka) 
  Islands 
  we 
  obtained 
  

   880 
  fathoms, 
  and 
  5 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  Nukuhiva 
  687 
  fathoms. 
  

   When 
  leaving 
  Nukuhiva 
  for 
  the 
  Paumotus 
  we 
  sounded 
  in 
  

   J-2^4 
  fathoms 
  about 
  9 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  that 
  island. 
  These 
  sound- 
  

   ings 
  seem 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Marquesas 
  rises 
  from 
  a 
  

   plateau 
  having 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  2000 
  fathoms 
  and 
  about 
  50 
  miles 
  in 
  

   width, 
  as 
  at 
  station 
  29 
  we 
  sounded 
  in 
  1932 
  fathoms. 
  

  

  Between 
  the 
  Marquesas 
  and 
  the 
  northwestern 
  extremity 
  of 
  

   the 
  Paumotus 
  w 
  r 
  e 
  occupied 
  nine 
  stations, 
  the 
  greatest 
  depth 
  on 
  

  

  Am. 
  Jour. 
  Sci. 
  — 
  Fourth 
  Series, 
  Yol. 
  IX, 
  No. 
  49. 
  — 
  January. 
  1800. 
  

  

  