SOUNDING AND TRAWLING. 
387 
rich vegetation, was soon left behind ns like a 
shadowy vision of dream-land. 
We had a capital breeze, and all seemed to pro- 
mise a speedy run over the solitary waste of waters 
intervening in the 5000 miles between Tahiti and 
Valparaiso . 
On October 1 7th, however, the wind headed us; 
and until the 21st we were running on a southerly 
course. When reaching latitude 40° 8' south, longi- 
tude 132° 52' west, we picked up the commencement 
of the westerlies, which carried us on until the 3rd 
November, in latitude 39° 22', longitude 98° 46', and 
1368 miles from our destination. For a week now 
we had calms, during which steam was used for 
about 300 miles. On the 8th a breeze sprang up, 
but it was of short duration, and the remainder 
of the distance, until sighting the island of Juan 
Fernandez, was performed under steam. 
Thus nearly six weeks passed, during which sound- 
ings were obtained on twenty different occasions, 
showing an average of 2160 fathoms (the least 
being 1500, and greatest depth 2600 fathoms). 
Dredging was successfully carried out at intervals ; 
the bottom was found to consist for the most part 
of a chocolate-coloured mud. Large quantities of 
manganese modules, and on two or three occa- 
sions several sharks’ teeth, were brought up in the 
trawl. 
Through a succession of unfavourable winds, 
