﻿A. 
  Agassi? 
  — 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Albatross." 
  193 
  

  

  Art. 
  XIX. 
  — 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  "Albatross" 
  in 
  the 
  Pacific 
  ; 
  

   by 
  Alexander 
  Agassiz. 
  

  

  III. 
  

  

  [Letter 
  No. 
  5, 
  dated 
  Suva 
  Harbor, 
  Fiji 
  Islands, 
  December 
  1 
  1th. 
  1899. 
  to 
  Hon. 
  

   George 
  M. 
  Bowers. 
  IJ. 
  S. 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fish 
  and 
  Fisheries, 
  Washington, 
  D. 
  C, 
  

   by 
  Alexander 
  Agassiz] 
  

  

  We 
  left 
  Papeete, 
  November 
  15th, 
  after 
  coaling 
  and 
  refitting 
  

   on 
  our 
  return 
  from 
  the 
  Paumotus. 
  During 
  our 
  trip 
  to 
  Suva 
  

   we 
  made 
  a 
  few 
  soundings 
  from 
  Tahiti 
  to 
  Tonga, 
  striking 
  the 
  

   northern 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  deep 
  basin 
  lying 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  of 
  

   Nine 
  ; 
  the 
  depths 
  ranged 
  from 
  2172 
  to 
  2882, 
  the 
  bottom 
  being 
  

   red 
  clay. 
  This 
  would 
  indicate 
  a 
  greater 
  extension 
  westward 
  of 
  

   the 
  zone 
  over 
  which 
  the 
  manganese-nodule 
  bottom 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  

   extend. 
  

  

  After 
  leaving 
  Xiue 
  we 
  steamed 
  for 
  the 
  deep 
  hole 
  of 
  the 
  

   Tonga-Kermadec 
  Deep, 
  about 
  75 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  of 
  

   Tonga-Tabu, 
  and 
  in 
  4173 
  fathoms 
  made 
  a 
  haul 
  with 
  the 
  Blake 
  

   beam-trawl, 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  deepest 
  trawl 
  haul 
  yet 
  made. 
  The 
  gear 
  

   was 
  carefully 
  inspected, 
  and 
  strengthened 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  practicable 
  

   by 
  Captain 
  Moser, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  with 
  considerable 
  anxiety 
  that 
  

   we 
  laid 
  out 
  5000 
  fathoms 
  of 
  w 
  T 
  ire 
  rope 
  for 
  our 
  haul. 
  Fortu- 
  

   nately, 
  everything 
  went 
  off 
  successfully, 
  and 
  we 
  landed 
  the 
  

   trawl 
  safely 
  back 
  on 
  deck. 
  To 
  my 
  great 
  surprise 
  we 
  found 
  in 
  

   the 
  bag 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  large 
  fragments 
  of 
  a 
  silicious 
  sponge 
  

   belonging 
  probably 
  to 
  the 
  genus 
  Crateromorpha, 
  which 
  had 
  

   been 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  Challenger 
  in 
  the 
  Western 
  Pacific, 
  but 
  in 
  

   depths 
  less 
  than 
  500 
  fathoms. 
  We 
  also 
  brought 
  up 
  quite 
  a 
  

   large 
  sample 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  ; 
  it 
  consisted 
  of 
  light 
  brown 
  vol- 
  

   canic 
  mud 
  mixed 
  w 
  7 
  ith 
  radiolarians. 
  

  

  We 
  decided 
  to 
  trawl 
  at 
  4173 
  fathoms 
  rather 
  than 
  wait 
  for 
  a 
  

   possibly 
  deeper 
  sounding, 
  as 
  the 
  conditions 
  for 
  work 
  were 
  

   admirable 
  and 
  we 
  did 
  not 
  care 
  to 
  run 
  any 
  risk 
  from 
  a 
  change 
  

   of 
  weather. 
  After 
  our 
  haul 
  we 
  made 
  a 
  still 
  deeper 
  sounding 
  

   in 
  the 
  proximity 
  of 
  the 
  4762-fathom 
  sounding 
  marked 
  on 
  the 
  

   chart, 
  and 
  found 
  4540 
  fathoms, 
  with 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   character 
  as 
  at 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  we 
  trawled. 
  We 
  also 
  took 
  a 
  

   couple 
  of 
  soundings 
  in 
  the 
  line 
  from 
  Yavan 
  to 
  the 
  southern 
  

   extremity 
  of 
  the 
  Lau 
  Group 
  in 
  Fiji, 
  but 
  found, 
  as 
  w 
  T 
  e 
  expected 
  

   from 
  the 
  soundings 
  given 
  farther 
  south, 
  comparatively 
  shoal 
  

   water, 
  viz 
  : 
  13S1 
  fathoms. 
  In 
  the 
  channel 
  north 
  of 
  Yangasa, 
  

   where 
  we 
  cross 
  the 
  Lau 
  Plateau, 
  betw 
  r 
  een 
  Yangasa 
  and 
  Mothe, 
  

   we 
  found 
  453 
  fathoms, 
  w 
  T 
  ith 
  bottom 
  composed 
  of 
  coral 
  sand, 
  

   pteropod 
  ooze, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  globigerinse. 
  Between 
  Namuka 
  and 
  

   Yangasa 
  we 
  obtained 
  324 
  fathoms 
  ; 
  between 
  Namuka 
  and 
  

  

  Am. 
  Jour. 
  Sci. 
  — 
  Fourth 
  Series. 
  Vol. 
  IX, 
  No. 
  51.— 
  March. 
  1900. 
  

   14 
  

  

  