1869.] on the Scientific Exploration of the Deep Sea. 447 



perature of the surface being 52° /. In the afternoon of the same day 

 (Station 74) the water had deepened to 203 fathoms, while its bottom- 

 temperature had diminished to 47°'6, the surface-temperature being 

 52 D, 6. Another Sounding (Station 75) taken only two and a half hours 

 later, and at a distance of no more than 10 miles from the preceding, gave 

 a depth of 250 fathoms, and a bottorn-temperature of 4 1°*9 — a reduction 

 which clearly showed that the frigid current exerts no inconsiderable in- 

 fluence in this locality, the temperature at Station 66, at the slightly 

 greater depth of 267 fathoms, having been 45"- 7. Having run about 30 miles 

 during the night, we found ourselves early the next morning in Lat. 60° 36', 

 Long. 3° 58' ; and here (Station 76), with a surface-temperature of 50 3, 3, 

 we found the bottom-temperature 29 0, 7, at a depth of 344 fathoms, as at 

 Station 65. Keeping on our westward course for 25 miles, we took another 

 Sounding (Station 77) at noon of the same day, which gave us a depth of 

 560 fathoms, and a bottom-temperature of 29°'8. This Station was only 

 about twelve miles to the S.S.E. of the first point (Station vi.) at which we 

 came upon the Cold area last year ; and it was interesting to have so com- 

 plete a confirmation of the accuracy of that observation, which had given 

 us at the depth of 510 fathoms a temperature of 33°- 7, which, when cor- 

 rected for pressure, would be 31 ° 6. 



82. Changing our course to the southward, we found on the afternoon of 

 the same day (Station 78), after a run of about 20 miles, that the depth 

 had diminished to 290 fathoms, and that the bottom-temperature had risen 

 to 4 1°*6 ; from which it appeared that the influence of the frigid stream 

 was not quite so great, in proportion to the depth, as at Station 75, though 

 still very decided. Keeping on to the southward during the night, we 

 crossed the 100-fathom line, and found ourselves early in the morning 

 (Station 79) in Lat. 59° 49' and Long. 4° 42', where the depth was only 

 92 fathoms, and the bottom-temperature 49°'4, with a surface-tempera- 

 ture of 52°3. It seemed obvious, therefore, that the influence of the 

 frigid stream did not extend over this shallower portion of the bed of the 

 channel ; and this conclusion was confirmed by the Soundings which we 

 took at short intervals after altering our course to the X.W., so as to pass 

 again from this plateau into deep water. For after steaming 7 miles we 

 found the depth 92 fathoms, and the bottom -temperature 49°*4 ; pro- 

 ceeding 7 miles further, the depth was found to have increased to 142 

 fathoms, while the bottom-temperature was still 49°' 1 ; but a continuance 

 of the same course for only 8 miles showed that the bottom rapidly de- 

 scends here, as on other parts of the southern border of this channel, 

 the depth at Station 82 having increased to 312 fathoms, whilst the tem- 

 perature fell to 41°*3, showing a very precise accordance with the condition 

 of Station 78. We were here only about 7 miles to the S.E. of our 

 last year's Station vn., where the depth was 500 fathoms, and the bottom- 

 temperature 32 0, 2, which when corrected for pressure, would be 30 o- l ; and 

 it was thus very interesting to see how considerably the bottom-temperature 



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