﻿34 
  A. 
  Agassiz— 
  Explorations 
  of 
  'the" 
  Albatross." 
  

  

  that 
  line 
  being 
  at 
  station 
  No. 
  31, 
  in 
  lat, 
  12° 
  20' 
  S., 
  and 
  long. 
  

   144° 
  15' 
  W. 
  ' 
  The 
  depths 
  varied 
  between 
  2451 
  and 
  2527 
  

   fathoms 
  and 
  diminished 
  to 
  1208 
  fathoms 
  off 
  the 
  west 
  end 
  of 
  

   Ahii, 
  and 
  then 
  to 
  706 
  fathoms 
  when 
  about 
  16 
  miles 
  N.E. 
  of 
  

   Avatoru 
  Pass 
  in 
  Rairoa 
  Island. 
  

  

  We 
  developed 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent 
  the 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  Paumotu 
  

   Group 
  plateau 
  by 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  soundings 
  in 
  continuation 
  of 
  the 
  

   direction 
  of 
  Avatoru 
  Pass, 
  extending 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  than 
  9 
  miles 
  

   seaward, 
  where 
  we 
  obtained 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  819 
  fathoms. 
  Subse- 
  

   quently 
  we 
  ran 
  a 
  similar 
  line 
  normal 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  

   lagoon 
  of 
  Rairoa, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  nearly 
  12 
  miles, 
  into 
  897 
  fathoms. 
  

  

  Between 
  Rairoa 
  and 
  Tikehau, 
  the 
  next 
  island 
  to 
  the 
  west- 
  

   ward, 
  we 
  got 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  1486 
  fathoms. 
  

  

  Between 
  Tikehau 
  and 
  Mataiwa 
  six 
  soundings 
  were 
  made 
  with 
  

   a 
  depth 
  of 
  488 
  fathoms 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  shore, 
  and 
  a 
  greatest 
  

   depth 
  of 
  850 
  fathoms 
  6^ 
  miles 
  from 
  Tikehau. 
  The 
  slope 
  

   approaching 
  Mataiwa 
  is 
  steeper 
  than 
  the 
  Tikehau 
  slope. 
  

  

  From 
  Mataiwa 
  to 
  Makatea 
  (Aurora) 
  Island, 
  we 
  made 
  six 
  

   soundings 
  : 
  from 
  642 
  fathoms 
  about 
  2-J- 
  miles 
  off 
  shore, 
  to 
  581 
  

   fathoms 
  about 
  1|- 
  miles 
  off 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  island, 
  

   the 
  depths 
  passing 
  to 
  860, 
  1257, 
  1762, 
  and 
  the 
  greatest 
  depth 
  

   being 
  2267 
  fathoms 
  ; 
  then 
  2243, 
  and 
  rising 
  more 
  rapidly 
  near 
  

   Makatea 
  to 
  581 
  fathoms. 
  

  

  Between 
  Makatea 
  and 
  Tahiti 
  we 
  made 
  eight 
  soundings, 
  begin- 
  

   ning 
  with 
  1363 
  fathoms, 
  2 
  miles 
  off 
  the 
  southern 
  end 
  of 
  

   Makatea, 
  passing 
  to 
  2238, 
  2363 
  (the 
  greatest 
  depth 
  on 
  that 
  

   line), 
  to 
  2224, 
  1930, 
  1585, 
  775, 
  and 
  finally 
  867 
  fathoms 
  off 
  

   Point 
  Venus. 
  

  

  These 
  make 
  in 
  all 
  72 
  soundings 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  

  

  The 
  deep 
  basin 
  developed 
  by 
  our 
  soundings 
  between 
  lat. 
  

   24° 
  30' 
  K, 
  and 
  lat. 
  6° 
  25' 
  S., 
  varying 
  in 
  depth 
  from 
  nearly 
  

   3100 
  fathoms 
  to 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  than 
  2500 
  fathoms, 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  

   western 
  extension 
  of 
  a 
  deep 
  basin 
  indicated 
  by 
  two 
  soundings 
  

   on 
  the 
  charts, 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  of 
  our 
  line, 
  in 
  longitudes 
  125° 
  

   and 
  120° 
  W., 
  and 
  latitudes 
  9° 
  and 
  11° 
  N., 
  one 
  of 
  over 
  3100 
  

   fathoms, 
  the 
  other 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  2550 
  fathoms, 
  showing 
  this 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  considerable 
  depth 
  and 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  

   uniformly 
  deep 
  basin 
  of 
  great 
  extent, 
  continuing 
  westward 
  

   probably, 
  judging 
  from 
  the 
  soundings, 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  distance. 
  

  

  I 
  would 
  propose, 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  practice 
  adopted 
  

   for 
  naming 
  such 
  well-defined 
  basins 
  of 
  the 
  ocean, 
  that 
  this 
  

   large 
  depression 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  Pacific, 
  extending 
  for 
  nearly 
  

   thirty 
  degrees 
  of 
  latitude, 
  be 
  named 
  Moser 
  Basin. 
  

  

  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  this 
  basin 
  is 
  most 
  interest- 
  

   ing. 
  The 
  haul 
  of 
  the 
  trawl 
  made 
  at 
  station 
  No. 
  2, 
  lat. 
  28° 
  23' 
  

   N., 
  long. 
  126° 
  57' 
  "W., 
  brought 
  up 
  the 
  bag 
  full 
  of 
  red 
  clay 
  and 
  

   manganese 
  nodules 
  with 
  sharks' 
  teeth 
  and 
  cetacean 
  ear-bones 
  ; 
  

  

  