660 
OCEAN LIGHT. 
earth's crust at 2400 fathoms must produce some important 
effects, it would tend to diminish the extreme pressure of the 
ocean, so that it may not he more felt there than we feel that 
of the air on the earth's surface. 
In some of those deep sea soundings, asterias have been 
brought up of as bright a color as those found on our shores, 
this leads to another consideration, could a bright red color 
be produced in that total darkness which is thought to 
reign there as well as intense cold? can life exist and in- 
crease without light ? is it not of vital importance to it ? but 
there is life found in ocean's lowest bottom, therefore it 
is highly probable there is light there as well as heat, which 
if not generated by the latter or by electricity, or both 
combined, may be derived from the immense quantity of 
phosphoric matter there held in solution from decomposed 
organisms, which are constantly forming vast strata along 
the ocean bottom, as in the primaeval one of old. With 
the phosphoresence of the ocean we are familiar, but is 
that confined to its surface only ? It is a well known fact 
that after great storms masses of this luminous matter, 
this ignis fatuus of the ocean, are released from greater 
depths, which often attach themselves to the yard arms 
of ships; though a severe storm may agitate the sea to 
a greater depth than usual, and thus release small portions 
of this luminous matter, still it must be but trifling com- 
pared with that existing in the vast profound, there, 
everything is quiet, no disturbance, except what may arise 
from currents, hence at great depths the quantity of phos- 
phoric light must be very great, and go on increasing with 
the depth, so that at the lowest bottom who can say what 
is the degree of light which may there be possessed. It is 
supposed there may be some connection between ozone and 
the phosphoresence of the sea, this when further searched 
into, may lead to fresh and important results, which will 
eventually give correcter views on various points connected 
with this interesting subject. 
The luminous character of fresh water has also been 
repeatedly observed in different parts of New Zealand, 
