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Dr. Carpenter's Preliminary Report [Dec. 17, 



the existence, not of a degraded or starved-out residuum of Animal life, but 

 of a rich and varied Fauna, including elevated as well as humble types, at a 

 depth of 530 fathoms [969 metres]. This Fauna was essentially British 

 in its general character, but included several types hitherto found only 

 near the coast of Norway. Since it presented itself on the southern border 

 of the deep channel intervening between the North of Scotland and the 

 Faroe Banks, these types must henceforth be considered to appertain equally 

 to the British province. 



1 7. As it was necessary for us to continue our course towards Stornoway, 

 we were not able to prosecute further inquiries in this interesting locality, 

 as we should otherwise have been most glad to do ; and on the morning of 

 September 7th, in lat. 59° 5' and long. 7° 29', a Sounding gave the com- 

 paratively small depth of 189 fathoms [345 metres]. We found the 

 minimum temperature, indicated by the mean of three thermometers (re- 

 spectively marking 49|°, 49|°, and 49|°), to be here 49|° [9°'8 Cent.], the 

 surface-temperature being 52° [11°*1 Cent.]. Here our Dredge brought 

 up almost exclusively the ordinary types of the northern shores of Scot- 

 land, the chief features of interest being the great abundance of Cidaris 

 papillata, and the occurrence of Antedon celticus (Comatula celtica of 

 Barrett), numerous specimens of which had been previously obtained off 

 the coast of Ross-shire by Mr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys. As we approached the 

 land, the contents of the dredge became altogether barren of animal life, 

 probably on account of the "scour" of the strong currents and tides of 

 this locality, and the stony character of its bottom. In the Minch (the 

 channel between the Island of Lewis and the mainland) the dredge again 

 brought up a considerable number of well-known North British forms ; and 

 at one of our casts it came up full of mud, sticking in which was an extra- 

 ordinary number of living specimens of Pennatula. 



18. We arrived at Stornoway on the afternoon of September 9 ; and 

 here Prof. Wyville Thomson was obliged to leave us, in order to attend 

 the Meetings of the Commission on Science and Art Instruction, of which 

 he is a member. As, however, the weather presented an unusually settled 

 aspect, and as the results we had already obtained led me strongly to 

 desire an opportunity of examining both the Temperature and the Animal 

 life of waters still deeper than any we had hitherto sounded, it was thought 

 by Captain May and myself that, notwithstanding the lateness of the 

 season, it would be worth while to venture another short cruise in a 

 westerly direction, where we knew, from soundings previously taken, that 

 a depth exceeding 1000 fathoms (1829 metres) is to be met with. — After 

 refitting our ship and our dredging-apparatus at Stornoway, we left that 

 harbour for a second time on September 14, and proceeded in a N.W. 

 course, with the view of finding, in the latitude of the region which 

 had given us a temperature of 32° [0° Cent.] at a depth of 500 fathoms 

 [914 metres], but at some distance to the westward, still deeper water, 

 and possibly a still lower temperature (the freezing-point of sea-water being 



