of Edinburgh, Session 1885-86. 
431 
While the “ Dacia ” was running the second long line to seaward 
it was found that, on prolonging it, it cut this Lisbon-Madeira line 
of soundings at a point where there was a shoaling from 2400 to 
1800 fathoms. 
Before the discovery of the “ Seine bank,” with under 100 fathoms 
of water on it, there was no indication of its existence except a 
similar shoaling from 2322 to 1967 fathoms. It was thought, 
therefore, that another similar bank might exist, and the ship was 
kept on the same course with the view of going as far as the 
“Seine’s” 1885 fathoms sounding. At the point where it had 
been intended to turn, a depth of 2400 fathoms was found; at the 
next sounding, 50 miles farther west, bottom was struck in 485 
fathoms. This depth was found at 4 a.m. on the 12th of October, 
and the sounding was immediately repeated, with the same result. 
The whole day was then devoted to the exploration of the bank 
thus revealed. 
The discovery of this bank or “Coral patch ” may fairly be claimed 
as a success in marine diagnosis. The shoalest water found on it 
was 435 fathoms, inlat. 34° 57' N., long. 11° 57' W., and the depth 
ranged up to 600 fathoms. The shallow water extends for a distance 
of 6 miles in an east and west direction, and about 3J miles in one 
from north to south. On the western edge it seemed to fall away pre- 
cipitously from 550 to about 850 fathoms, when the slope became 
gentle, and the bottom changed from hard coral to soft ooze. In 
one sounding on this ledge the sinker distinctly struck bottom in 
550 fathoms, tumbled over and continued to sink, struck in 620 
fathoms, again tumbled over, and finally found a resting place in 
835 fathoms. When it came up it had a large brownish-black 
streak, where it had evidently struck obliquely on manganese rock. 
This was a very remarkable sounding, and quite undoubted. All 
the conditions were the most favourable — no wind, the sea calm, 
and the ship motionless. A grapnel with extemporised dredge and 
hempen swabs was put over in 530 fathoms, and on being brought 
up the dredge was found much torn, and on the swabs a large 
quantity of beautiful white coral and many fragments of a crinoid. 
The coral was examined by Professor Moseley, and determined as 
Lophohelia prolifera . It was found to be growing luxuriantly, the 
living stalks being rooted on dead and decaying branches of the 
