36 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



joined Carpenter and Thomson in conducting the practical 

 work at sea ; and the account of how, in 1868, H.M.S. 

 " Lightning " and, in 1869 and 1870, H.M.S. " Porcupine " were 

 equipped by the Admiralty and sent out to explore the depths, 

 from the Faroes in the North to Gibraltar and beyond in the 

 South, is given in full detail in Wyville Thomson's great work 

 " The Depths of the Sea," which may be regarded as the 

 first general text-book of Oceanography. It was published* 

 just as the "Challenger" Expedition was leaving England, 

 and so gives us a statement of matters and opinions up to that 

 important point in the history of the science. It is too long 

 to summarise; let me give you some idea of its contents by 

 quoting a few passages, and stating a few facts :— 



" The surveying ship ' Lightning ' ' (Sir Wyville writes, 

 p. 57) " was assigned for the service — a cranky little vessel 

 enough, one which had the somewhat doubtful title to respect 

 of being perhaps the very oldest paddle-steamer in Her Majesty's 

 navy. We had not good times in the ' Lightning.' She kept 

 out the water imperfectly, and as we had deplorable weather 

 during nearly the whole of the six weeks we were afloat, we 

 were in considerable discomfort. The vessel, in fact, was scarcely 

 seaworthy, the iron hook and screw-jack fastenings of the 

 rigging were worn with age, and many of them were carried 

 away, and on two occasions the ship ran some risk." 



Still, on this " cranky little vessel " in the rough seas 

 of the North Atlantic, they dredged down to 600 fathoms ; 

 and in 1869 on the "Porcupine," a more sea-worthy ship, 

 they got successful hauls from the great depth of 2,435 fathoms, 

 nearly 3 statute miles. 



Part of the book is historical, and amongst other interesting 

 matters gives an account of those earlier observations which 

 afford glimpses of a fauna in the deep sea. For example, we 

 are told how in 1860 Professor Fleeming Jenkin, in repairing 

 a cable in the Mediterranean, found several animals, including 



* Macmillan & Co., London. 1873. 



