﻿A. 
  Agassis 
  — 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  "Albatross." 
  369 
  

  

  Art. 
  XXXVII. 
  — 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Albat? 
  7 
  oss 
  " 
  in 
  the 
  

   Pacific; 
  by 
  Alexander 
  Agassiz. 
  

  

  IY. 
  

  

  [Letter 
  No. 
  4, 
  on 
  the 
  Cruise 
  of 
  the 
  Albatross, 
  dated 
  Yokohama, 
  Japan, 
  March 
  5, 
  

   1900, 
  to 
  Hon. 
  George 
  M. 
  Bowers, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fish 
  and 
  Fisheries, 
  

   "Washington, 
  D. 
  C, 
  by 
  Alexander 
  Agassiz.] 
  

  

  After 
  coaling 
  and 
  refitting 
  we 
  left 
  Suva 
  on 
  the 
  19th 
  of 
  

   December, 
  and 
  arrived 
  at 
  Funafuti 
  on 
  the 
  23d, 
  stopping 
  on 
  the 
  

   way 
  at 
  Xurakita, 
  the 
  southernmost 
  of 
  the 
  Ellice 
  Islands. 
  I 
  was, 
  

   of 
  course, 
  greatly 
  interested 
  in 
  my 
  visit 
  of 
  Funafuti, 
  where 
  a 
  

   boring 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  a 
  committee 
  of 
  

   the 
  Royal 
  Society, 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  Professor 
  David, 
  of 
  Sydney, 
  

   after 
  the 
  first 
  attempt 
  under 
  Professor 
  Sollas 
  had 
  failed. 
  The 
  

   second 
  boring 
  reached 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  1100 
  feet. 
  This 
  

   is 
  not 
  the 
  place 
  to 
  discuss 
  the 
  bearing 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  done 
  at 
  

   Funafuti, 
  as 
  beyond 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  depth 
  reached 
  we 
  have 
  as 
  

   yet 
  no 
  final 
  statement 
  by 
  the 
  committee 
  of 
  the 
  interpretation 
  

   put 
  upon 
  the 
  detailed 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  core 
  obtained, 
  and 
  

   now 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  Professor 
  Judd 
  and 
  his 
  assistants. 
  In 
  

   addition 
  to 
  the 
  above-named 
  islands, 
  we 
  also 
  examined 
  Nnku- 
  

   fetau, 
  another 
  of 
  the 
  Ellice 
  Group. 
  

  

  After 
  leaving 
  Xukufetau 
  we 
  encountered 
  nothing 
  but 
  bad 
  

   weather, 
  which 
  put 
  a 
  stop 
  to 
  all 
  our 
  work 
  until 
  we 
  arrived 
  

   under 
  the 
  lee 
  of 
  Arorai, 
  the 
  southernmost 
  of 
  the 
  Gilbert 
  

   Islands. 
  On 
  our 
  way 
  from 
  Tapateuea 
  we 
  steamed 
  to 
  Apa- 
  

   raama 
  and 
  Maiana, 
  which 
  we 
  examined, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  Tarawa. 
  

   \Ye 
  next 
  examined 
  Maraki, 
  an 
  atoll 
  which 
  is 
  nearly 
  closed 
  with 
  

   high 
  beaches, 
  having 
  only 
  two 
  small 
  boat 
  passages 
  leading 
  

   through 
  the 
  narrow 
  outer 
  land-rims. 
  Both 
  Maraki 
  and 
  Tari- 
  

   tari, 
  the 
  last 
  island 
  of 
  the 
  Gilberts 
  which 
  we 
  examined, 
  are 
  

   remarkable 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  an 
  inner 
  row 
  of 
  islands 
  

   and 
  sand-bars 
  in 
  certain 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  lagoon 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  

   outer 
  land-rim, 
  a 
  feature 
  which 
  also 
  exists 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  

   Marshall 
  Islands 
  atolls. 
  

  

  We 
  reached 
  Jaluit 
  the 
  9th 
  of 
  January, 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  

   spent 
  in 
  coaling, 
  we 
  spent 
  about 
  three 
  weeks 
  in 
  exploring 
  the 
  

   Marshall 
  Islands, 
  taking 
  in 
  turn 
  the 
  atolls 
  of 
  the 
  Ralick 
  Chain 
  

   to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  Jaluit: 
  Ailinglab 
  Lab, 
  Xamn, 
  Kwajalong, 
  and 
  

   Rongelab 
  ; 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  atolls 
  of 
  the 
  Ratack 
  Chain, 
  Likieb, 
  

   AVotje, 
  and 
  Arhno. 
  The 
  atolls 
  of 
  the 
  Marshall 
  Group 
  are 
  

   noted 
  for 
  their 
  great 
  size 
  and 
  the 
  comparatively 
  small 
  area 
  of 
  

   the 
  outer 
  land-rims, 
  the 
  land-rims 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  atolls 
  being 
  

   reduced 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  insignificant 
  islands 
  and 
  islets. 
  In 
  none 
  of 
  

   the 
  atolls 
  of 
  the 
  Ellice, 
  Gilbert 
  or 
  Marshall 
  Islands 
  were 
  we 
  

  

  