﻿A. 
  Agassis 
  — 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  u 
  Albatross 
  " 
  35 
  

  

  and 
  at 
  nearly 
  all 
  our 
  stations 
  we 
  had 
  indications 
  of 
  manganese 
  

   nodules. 
  At 
  station 
  No. 
  13, 
  in 
  2690 
  fathoms, 
  lat. 
  9° 
  57' 
  N., 
  

   long. 
  137° 
  4:7' 
  W., 
  we 
  again 
  obtained 
  a 
  tine 
  trawl 
  haul 
  of 
  man- 
  

   ganese 
  nodules 
  and 
  red 
  clay 
  ; 
  there 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  at 
  least 
  

   enough 
  to 
  fill 
  a 
  40-gallon 
  barrel. 
  

  

  The 
  nodules 
  of 
  our 
  first 
  haul 
  were 
  either 
  slabs 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  18 
  

   inches 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  4 
  to 
  6 
  inches 
  in 
  thickness, 
  or 
  small 
  nodules 
  

   ranging 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  walnut 
  to 
  a 
  lentil 
  or 
  less; 
  while 
  

   those 
  brought 
  up 
  at 
  station 
  No. 
  13 
  consisted 
  mainly 
  of 
  nodules 
  

   looking 
  like 
  mammillated 
  cannon-balls 
  varying 
  from 
  4-| 
  to 
  6 
  

   inches 
  in 
  diameter, 
  the 
  largest 
  being 
  6J 
  inches. 
  We 
  again 
  

   brought 
  up 
  manganese 
  nodules 
  at 
  the 
  equator 
  in 
  about 
  longi- 
  

   tude 
  138° 
  W., 
  and 
  subsequently 
  — 
  until 
  within 
  sight 
  of 
  Tahiti 
  — 
  

   we 
  occasionally 
  got 
  manganese 
  nodules. 
  

  

  As 
  had 
  been 
  noticed 
  by 
  Sir 
  John 
  Murray 
  in 
  the 
  Challenger, 
  

   these 
  manganese 
  nodules 
  occur 
  in 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  most 
  

   distant 
  from 
  continental 
  areas. 
  Our 
  experience 
  has 
  been 
  simi- 
  

   lar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Challenger, 
  only 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  

   these 
  nodules 
  range 
  over 
  a 
  far 
  greater 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  

   Pacific 
  than 
  had 
  been 
  supposed, 
  and 
  that 
  this 
  peculiar 
  manga- 
  

   nese-nodule 
  bottom 
  characterizes 
  a 
  great 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  deep 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  Pacific 
  where 
  it 
  cannot 
  be 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  

   deposits 
  of 
  globigerina, 
  pteropods, 
  or 
  telluric 
  ooze 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  

   region 
  characterized 
  also 
  by 
  red-clay 
  deposits. 
  For 
  in 
  the 
  

   track 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  equatorial 
  currents 
  there 
  occur 
  deposits 
  of 
  

   globigerina 
  ooze 
  in 
  over 
  2400 
  fathoms 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  over 
  

   300 
  miles 
  in 
  latitude. 
  

  

  Manganese 
  nodules 
  we 
  found 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Marquesas 
  also, 
  

   when 
  in 
  2700 
  fathoms 
  we 
  obtained 
  perhaps 
  the 
  finest 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  of 
  red 
  clay 
  from 
  any 
  of 
  our 
  soundings. 
  As 
  we 
  approached 
  

   close 
  to 
  the 
  Western 
  Paumotus, 
  upon 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   plateau 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  rise, 
  globigerina 
  ooze 
  passed 
  gradually 
  

   to 
  pteropod 
  ooze, 
  then 
  to 
  fine 
  and 
  coarse 
  coral 
  sand. 
  In 
  the 
  

   channel 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Paumotus 
  to 
  Tahiti 
  the 
  coral 
  sand 
  passed 
  

   to 
  volcanic 
  sand 
  mixed 
  with 
  globigerinse 
  in 
  the 
  deepest 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  line, 
  and 
  toward 
  Tahiti 
  passed 
  to 
  volcanic 
  mud 
  mixed 
  

   with 
  globigerinse, 
  next 
  to 
  fine 
  volcanic 
  sand, 
  and 
  finally, 
  at 
  the 
  

   last 
  sounding, 
  off 
  Point 
  Yenus, 
  to 
  coarse 
  volcanic 
  sand. 
  

  

  We 
  made 
  a 
  few 
  hauls 
  of 
  the 
  trawl 
  on 
  our 
  way, 
  but 
  owing 
  

   to 
  the 
  great 
  distance 
  we 
  had 
  to 
  steam 
  between 
  San 
  Francisco 
  

   and 
  the 
  Marquesas 
  (3800 
  miles) 
  we 
  could 
  not, 
  of 
  course, 
  spend 
  

   a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  time 
  either 
  in 
  trawling 
  or 
  in 
  making 
  tows 
  at 
  

   intermediate 
  depths. 
  Still 
  the 
  hauls 
  we 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  trawl 
  

   were 
  most 
  interesting, 
  and 
  confirmed 
  what 
  other 
  deep-sea 
  

   expeditions 
  have 
  realized 
  : 
  that 
  at 
  great 
  depths, 
  at 
  considerable 
  

   distances 
  from 
  land 
  and 
  away 
  from 
  any 
  great 
  oceanic 
  current, 
  

   there 
  is 
  comparatively 
  little 
  animal 
  life 
  to 
  be 
  found. 
  Where 
  

  

  