AKETVEESAKY ADDRESS. 25 



the China sea to 1,050 fathoms, the greatest depths attained 

 there. 



Advices have, however, been received from the " Challenger," 

 dated 23rd March, 1875, giving an account of the deepest sound- 

 ing, made from that ship on that day, when in latitude 11° 24/ 

 jST., and longitude 1-15° 16' E., by aid of a weight of 4 cwt., the 

 enormous depth of 4,450 fathoms or 26,700 feet was reached. 

 This was preceded on the same day by an attempt to reach the 

 bottom with 8 cwt., on which occasion the glass of three of the 

 thermometers was crushed into fine powder. But the bottom 

 must in some way have been reached, as the tube brought up 

 traces of red clay. The other thermometer had recorded the 

 temperature as 35'5° F. The spot indicated appears to be 

 nearly north, not far from the meridian of the S.E. point of New 

 Guinea, which is also that of the Barrier Eeef of Australia, 

 where the east coast begins to trend north-westerly from near 

 Cape Elattery to Cape Melville. Another account makes the 

 depth 4,475 fathoms. 



Before this t New G-uinea had been visited, but the soundings 

 of that island are at present unknown to me. 



At the date of the communication just referred to, the 

 "Challenger" was about to proceed to Japan. In the absence of 

 other data, we may notice the soundings of Captain Belknap, of 

 the U.S. steamer "Tuscarora," who reported from Japan, 26th 

 June, 1874, that about 1,000 miles E. by S. of Kingharan Bay, on 

 the coast of Japan, the lead sunk to a depth of 3,427 fathoms, 

 going still deeper at 45 miles further, viz., to 4,643 fathoms. 



Parallel to the Island of Yesso, at the edge of the Japan 

 stream, a depth of 3,493 fathoms was reached ; 48 miles 

 further, 3,587 and 3,307 fathoms, and an extra depth of nearly a 

 statute mile was reached in the bed of the stream. Two other 

 casts showed 4,411 and 4,655 fathoms. 



During my conversation with officers on board the "Challenger," 

 I remarked the surprise expressed that no one had yet made out 

 the history of the Australian current which sets along our shores, 



