PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 
443 
Surgeon P. W. Bassett-Smith’s paper “ On the Deep-sea Deposits of 
the Eastern Archipelago ” was read by Prof. Bell. H.M. surveying 
ship ‘ Penguin,’ to which Surgeon Bassett-Smith was attached, made a 
passage during the later part of 1891 from Port Darwin, North-west 
Australia, through the Arafura, Banda, Celebes, Sulu and China Seas to 
Hong Kong, calling at the following places en route : — Dammar Island, 
Amboyna, Ternate, Samboangan, and Manila. A continuous and close 
line of soundings was taken through the whole passage, the deepest 
water being 2880 fathoms, in the Banda Sea ; in almost every instance 
specimens of the bottom were obtained. Tiiey consisted mostly of 
“ green muds,” with a few blue ” and “ brown muds ” in the deeper 
parts. The definition of “ green mud ” is a very wide one ; broadly it 
may be divided into that in which calcareous organisms, chiefly Globi- 
gerina, predominate, and that in which the tests of Radiolarians have 
taken their place ; this latter condition was almost always present in 
“ brown muds.” The inorganic materials were either fine quartz sand 
in the deeper and more distant positions, or, as the coast was approached, 
argillaceous matter, together with sponge spicules and small shells. In 
places the material was typically volcanic, as in the upper part of tho 
Banda Sea and among the Molucca Islands and along the coast of 
Luzon. Only two specimens of pure Globigerina ooze were obtained, both 
in the Molucca Sea, one in 1885 fathoms, and the other in 697 fathoms. 
It seems that in the deeper parts of the seas the bottoms consist of 
Badiolarian muds, and the shallower parts of Globigerina muds, the line 
being roughly drawn at 1500 fathoms. In almost every case over 2000 
fathoms the siliceous organisms were undoubtedly most abundant. The 
paper was illustrated by a track chart and by twelve mounted specimens 
of the deposits. 
A note was read from Dr. E. Giltay “ On the Use of the Camera 
Lucida in drawing Bacteria,” in which he recommended the illumina- 
tion of the drawing by a powerful lamp, and the testing of the drawing 
by a slight change in the position of the paper, so as to compare side by 
side the drawing made and the camera lucida outline. Dr. Giltay stated 
he had succeeded in drawing objects magnified 2500 times. 
Dr. Dalliuger said it did not appear that there was anything described 
in this paper but what had already been done, and was well known to 
all who were in the habit of making drawings, except, perhaps, the 
suggestion as to the mode of making the comparison between the drawn 
image and the object. The idea of arranging the illumination so as to 
make the point of the pencil clear whilst drawing was one which had 
been carried out for the last twenty years at least. 
Mr. A. D. Michael said they could all echo what Dr. Dalliuger had 
said with regard to the methods of drawing with the camera lucida. 
He did not, however, see that it was at all necessary to put the lamp so 
near as to endanger the head of the person who was drawing ; he was 
himself always in the habit of using a second lamp whilst making 
drawings in this manner, but used his stand condenser to throw the 
required light upon the paper from the lamp placed at some distance on 
one side. The method of comparison suggested might be unusual, but 
he thought it was open to some objection on the ground of the distortion 
