1883.] Soundings and Temperatures in the Faeroe Channel. 203 



case with the Mediterranean and Red Seas ; or (b) the minimum 

 temperature might be that which exists outside the separated area at 

 the lowest part of the submarine ridge, in which case the water would 

 be flowing in at the bottom over the ridge, and out at the surface, as 

 seems to be the case in the Sulu, Celebes, and Banda Seas. 



As the voyage of the " Challenger " was devoted to general oceanic 

 research, it was found impracticable to spend much time over parti- 

 cular localities without lengthening the voyage considerably, and 

 consequently there was no opportunity of testing by actual soundings 

 the correctness or otherwise of this theory. This seemed to be practi- 

 cally of very little consequence, as in the Faeroe Channel, close to our 

 own shores, the same phenomenon existed, and a short time devoted 

 to its further exploration would decide whether a submarine ridge 

 there separated the two areas of different bottom temperatures, as was 

 predicted would be the case in No. 7 of the "Challenger" reports 

 published by the Admiralty ; for, applying our views to the results 

 obtained in the Faeroe Channel in 1868-69, we concluded that, as in 

 both areas in that channel the temperatures agreed fairly well to a 

 depth of 200 fathoms, whilst at greater depths a marked difference 

 existed, we should find a submarine ridge across the channel with from 

 200 to 250 fathoms over it, and that as in the cold as well as the warm 

 area the temperature at 200 fathoms exceeded the mean annual tem- 

 perature of the 60th parallel of latitude, the whole body of the water 

 was moving steadily to the north-eastward over the ridge. 



The late Sir Wyville Thomson considered the Faeroe Channel as a 

 test question, and consequently represented to the Hydrographer of 

 the Admiralty (Sir F. J. Evans, R.K, K.C.B., F.R.S.), in 1880, the 

 desirability of despatching a small vessel to obtain some soundings 

 and other observations in this locality. The Hydrographer having 

 recommended this project to the favourable consideration of the Lords 

 Commissioners of the Admiralty, their Lordships sanctioned the small 

 hired surveying vessel " Knight Errant " (employed on the west coasts 

 of the United Kingdom) being sent to the Faeroe Channel, and during 

 the month of August, 1880, a sufficient number of soundings and 

 temperature observations were obtained to show that a submarine 

 ridge existed, though the actual extent of the ridge was not deter- 

 mined. A full account of the results obtained in the " Knight Errant " 

 was published in the "Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edin- 

 burgh," session 1881-82. 



The existence of a submarine ridge having been ascertained, Sir 

 Wyville Thomson represented to the Royal Society the advisability of 

 more thoroughly investigating it by a series of cross-sections to 

 determine the slopes on each side, and to ascertain with greater exact- 

 ness the limit of the cold area and the nature of the bottom on this 

 ridge. The Royal Society recommended Sir Wyville's views to the 



