1869.] on the Scientific Exploration of the Deep Sea. 439 



sible to fix the place either of the 1 Lightning ' or of the ' Porcupine 9 by ob- 

 servation; and (3) that a "dead reckoning" cannot be keptwith any consider- 

 able exactness when the ship is drifting with a dredge attached to it during 

 a great part of the twenty-four hours. — Hence either the place of the bank 

 may not have been precisely laid down in the 1 Lightning 3 Chart ; or a 

 corresponding error of a few miles may have been made in estimating the 

 place of the ' Porcupine.' How exactly accordant were the points deter- 

 mined by observation in the two Expeditions is shown by the precision 

 with which Captain Calver twice placed us on the Holtenia-ground 

 (§§ 61, 86), though approaching it in each case in a direction different 

 from that in which we came upon it last year. 



68. Pursuing our exploration about thirty miles further eastwards in the 

 same parallel, we sounded on the afternoon of the 20th in 580 fathoms 

 (Station 59, Lat. 60° 21', Long. 5° 41'), and found the bottom-temperature 

 29°' 7, which was nearly the lowest anywhere met with. From this point, 

 which was on the line of Soundings between the Orkney and Faroe Islands 

 previously taken in the ' Bull-dog/ we again turned our course northwards 

 for Thorshavn, as it was our intention to make this our point of departure 

 for the exploration of that north-eastern portion of the channel which lies 

 between the Faroe and the Shetland Islands. The weather having now 

 cleared, we had on the morning of Saturday the 21st a most beautiful run 

 along the series of remarkably formed islands which we had last year only 

 seen dimly through their covering of mist ; and on anchoring at Thorshavn 

 in the afternoon, we received a cordial greeting from our excellent friend 

 Governor Holten, who, having been forewarned of our probable visit, and 

 having had our vessel in view for some hours, at once came off in his barge 

 to welcome us. 



69. The apparently settled state of the weather encouraged us to hope that 

 we might be able to avail ourselves of this opportunity of visiting Myling 

 Head, the remarkable precipice which forms the North-western point of 

 Stromoe, the principal island of the Faroe group, and which falls 2100* 

 feet perpendicularly, its summit even slightly overhanging its base, so that a 

 stone let fall from it drops into the sea beneath. On inquiring from the 

 Governor as to the best means of carrying our wish into effect, he informed 

 us that the tide runs so strongly round the islands, that if we started with the 

 morning flood, and our vessel kept its speed in accordance with the rate of 

 the tidal wave, we should be able to make the whole circuit in six hours; but 

 that if we should attempt the expedition in any other mode, we should be te- 

 diously delayed by the strength of the opposing tide. As we learned that high 

 water would occur on the following Monday morning at 4 o' clock f, we made 



* The height of Myling Head is commonly stated at 2500 feet ; but the above esti- 

 mate is based on an observation made a few years since with an Aneroid barometer by 

 the Authors of " The Cruise of the Yacht ' Maria ' among the Faroe Islands." 



t It is worthy of mention that a discrepancy between the Ship's time and the Island 

 time (as indicated by the Church clock) having led us to inquire into the mode in which 



