SOUNDINGS OF TEE TUSOABOBA. 
305 
after we were steaming out from the anchorage* 
the weather bright and clear, and everything pro- 
mising a pleasant and speedy run to the Sandwich 
Islands. 
Last year (1874) the United States Government 
despatched the steam- vessel Tuscarora on a deep-sea 
sounding cruise between San Francisco, the Sand- 
wich Islands, and the coast of Japan, with instruc- 
tions on their return route to complete a line of 
soundings from Yokohama, extending in a great 
circle to the north, passing along the islands of the 
Aleutian group, and so towards Puget Sound, with 
a view of finding a practicable cable route across. 
The course therefore selected by us was one inter- 
mediate between these two (through the parallel 
of 35° north latitude) until reaching 155° west 
longitude. 
The voyage at first promised to be pleasant and 
speedy, but ere many days had passed, we found 
that we were to be delayed (except in one or two 
cases) by light and contrary winds ; still, the fine 
weather was eminently favourable for sounding 
and trawling; while, on the other hand, the want 
of a breeze made the voyage long and monotonous. 
No such extraordinary depths were found on the 
course selected by us as those reported by the Ameri- 
can expedition, their deepest being 4655 fathoms, 
while ours was 3900 fathoms; the average being 
under 3000, with a bottom of red clay and brown 
