﻿246 
  

  

  Prof. 
  W. 
  Thomson 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  [Feb. 
  4, 
  

  

  observations 
  and 
  exploring 
  on 
  shore 
  we 
  trawled 
  in 
  300 
  fathoms, 
  and 
  

   procured 
  among 
  other 
  things 
  a 
  fine 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  Pearly 
  Nautilus 
  

   {Nautilus 
  pomjpilius), 
  which 
  we 
  kept 
  living 
  in 
  a 
  tub 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  in 
  

   order 
  to 
  observe 
  its 
  movements 
  and 
  attitudes. 
  

  

  On 
  Saturday, 
  the 
  25th 
  of 
  July, 
  we 
  arrived 
  at 
  Kandavu, 
  on 
  the 
  28th 
  we 
  

   went 
  to 
  Levuka, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  3rd 
  of 
  August 
  we 
  returned 
  to 
  Kandavu, 
  

   where 
  we 
  remained 
  until 
  the 
  10th. 
  

  

  At 
  Piji 
  the 
  civilian 
  staff 
  were 
  occupied 
  in 
  examining 
  the 
  reefs 
  and 
  

   generally 
  in 
  observing 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  we 
  

   received 
  all 
  friendly 
  assistance 
  from 
  H.M. 
  Consul 
  Mr. 
  Layard 
  and 
  from 
  

   Mr. 
  Thurston, 
  minister 
  of 
  King 
  Cacobau. 
  During 
  our 
  stay, 
  a 
  mixed 
  

   party 
  of 
  naval 
  and 
  civilian 
  officers 
  went 
  in 
  the 
  ship's 
  barge 
  to 
  Mbaw 
  and 
  

   visited 
  the 
  king. 
  

  

  Between 
  New 
  Zealand 
  and 
  the 
  Piji 
  group 
  only 
  two 
  soundings 
  were 
  

   taken 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  depth 
  than 
  1000 
  fathoms. 
  Of 
  these, 
  one, 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  

   of 
  1100 
  fathoms 
  off 
  Cape 
  Turnagain, 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  gave 
  a 
  bottom 
  of 
  

   grey 
  ooze 
  and 
  a 
  bottom-temperature 
  of 
  2° 
  C. 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  second, 
  at 
  2900 
  

   fathoms, 
  lat. 
  25° 
  5' 
  S., 
  long. 
  172° 
  56' 
  W., 
  midway 
  between 
  the 
  Kerma- 
  

   decs 
  and 
  the 
  Priendly 
  Islands, 
  gave 
  "red 
  clay 
  "and 
  a 
  temperature 
  of 
  

   0°-5 
  C. 
  Pour 
  serial 
  temperature-soundings 
  were 
  taken 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  distri- 
  

   bution 
  of 
  temperature 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  correspond, 
  in 
  its 
  main 
  features, 
  with 
  

   what 
  we 
  had 
  previously 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  oceans 
  communicating 
  freely 
  with 
  

   the 
  Antarctic 
  sea. 
  

  

  The 
  dredgings, 
  which, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  one 
  near 
  the 
  New-Zealand 
  

   coast, 
  were 
  all 
  at 
  depths 
  varying 
  from 
  300 
  to 
  600 
  fathoms, 
  yielded 
  a 
  

   great 
  number 
  of 
  very 
  interesting 
  forms 
  ; 
  but, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  re- 
  

   marked, 
  they 
  tended 
  to 
  confirm 
  our 
  impression 
  that, 
  even 
  at 
  these 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  moderate 
  depths 
  (at 
  all 
  depths, 
  in 
  fact, 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  a 
  

   hundred 
  fathoms), 
  while 
  species 
  differ 
  in 
  different 
  localities, 
  and 
  different 
  

   generic 
  types 
  are 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  introduced, 
  the 
  general 
  character 
  of 
  

   the 
  fauna 
  is 
  everywhere 
  very 
  much 
  the 
  same. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  10th 
  of 
  August 
  we 
  left 
  Kandavu 
  and 
  proceeded 
  towards 
  Api, 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  least 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  Hebrides, 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  as 
  yet 
  no 
  

   permanent 
  missionary 
  station. 
  On 
  the 
  12th 
  we 
  sounded 
  and 
  trawled 
  in 
  

   1350 
  fathoms, 
  with 
  a 
  bottom 
  of 
  reddish 
  ooze 
  ; 
  we 
  sounded 
  again 
  on 
  the 
  

   15th 
  in 
  1450 
  fathoms, 
  with 
  red 
  clay 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  18th, 
  after 
  passing 
  

   through 
  the 
  channel 
  between 
  Makuru 
  and 
  Two-Hill 
  Islands, 
  we 
  stopped 
  

   off 
  Api 
  in 
  25 
  fathoms, 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  reef 
  and 
  opposite 
  a 
  landing- 
  

   place. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  ensure, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  could, 
  the 
  good 
  -will 
  of 
  the 
  natives, 
  

   Captain 
  Nares 
  had 
  given 
  a 
  passage 
  to 
  eleven 
  Api 
  men, 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  

   employed 
  for 
  a 
  three-years' 
  term 
  in 
  Piji, 
  under 
  the 
  arrangement 
  which 
  

   exists 
  there 
  for 
  the 
  regulation 
  of 
  Polynesian 
  labour. 
  Two 
  or 
  three 
  of 
  us, 
  

   with 
  an 
  armed 
  party, 
  took 
  the 
  returned 
  labourers 
  ashore 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  

   natives 
  (although 
  they 
  appeared 
  somewhat 
  mistrustful 
  and 
  were 
  all 
  armed 
  

  

  