of Edinburgh, Session 1885 - 86 . 
443 
found and explored by the “ Dacia” are given, as well as the “Jose- 
phine ” and the “ Gettysburg ” banks, lying nearly in the latitude of 
the Straits of Gibraltar, the former with 80 and the latter with 30 
fathoms. In the North Atlantic Directory * a chapter is devoted to 
cataloguing the shoals and rocks which have been reported to have 
been found by different navigators in the open ocean. The great 
majority of these are very doubtful, but there are one or two which 
it would be exceedingly interesting to explore, as their existence 
rests on positive evidence. I would particularly mention the 
Chaucer bank, in lat. 42° 45' N., long. 29° W. It was discovered 
by Captain Robert Henderson of the ship “ Chaucer,” on a voyage 
from Mauritius to Glasgow, on 28th October 1850. Having noticed 
the water discoloured, he sounded and found hard bottom at 48 
fathoms. Two hours afterwards he sounded again in 50 fathoms, 
and two hours later he found bottom in 70 fathoms. These sound- 
ings put the existence of the “Chaucer” bank beyond a doubt. 
Similarly the Sainthill bank, in lat. 42° 37' N., long. 41° 45' W., 
on which Captain Sainthill, R.K, got a good sounding in 100 
fathoms, hard bottom; and the Milne bank, in lat. 43° 35' IS"., 
long. 38° 50' W., on which Admiral Milne got three soundings in 
92, 81, and 100 fathoms, with fine sand and ooze, obviously exist, 
though they may perhaps form parts of one and the same shoal. 
The soundings of the “Dacia” show that obtaining one or two 
deep soundings in the neighbourhood affords no evidence whatever 
of the non-existence of a reported or suspected shoal. When a ship 
is sent to look for such a shoal she must be fitted with the necessary 
apparatus for taking deep soundings with ease and rapidity. 
Arrived on the ground, she must start sounding at close intervals, 
and always follow the lead of her own soundings, proceeding in the 
direction in which they get shallower until she either finds the 
shoal or the water deepens again. This method was used with 
great success, and by it the Coral patch, and more particularly the 
“Dacia” bank, were discovered. 
* Findlay’s Atlantic Directory (1865), p. 558. 
