260 
SIR RODERICK I. MURCHISON’S ADDRESS. 
[May 24 , 1858 . 
and out of which no fewer than 45,000 vessels pass yearly — a traffic 
only paralleled by that of the ports of London and Liverpool. At 
Blyth, too, much has been done to improve the entrance, and to 
guide the flood and ebb streams into one channel. 
On the south coast of England the surveying party under Com- 
mander Cox and Messrs. Usborne and Davis are still engaged in 
the examination of the inner portions of Plymouth Sound, in- 
cluding Catwater and Hamoaze, as far as Keyham, in the course of 
which they have examined 27 miles of harbour coast-line, and 
sounded over 50 square miles. In Cornwall Captain Williams and 
Mr. Wells have surveyed 15 miles of the open coast from St. Ger- 
main’s Beacon westward to the entrance of Fowey, with plans of 
the small harbours of Charlestown, Par, Polkerris, and Polperro, and 
sounded over 47 square miles. At the northern entrance of the 
Bristol Channel, Commander Alldridge and Mr. Hall have been 
employed on the rocky passage known as Jack Sound, where they 
have mapped 21 miles of open coast line, and sounded over 40 
square miles, discovering many dangerous rocks hitherto not marked 
on our charts. 
Farther north, on the West coast, Mr. E. K. Calver has sounded 
the new refuge harbour of Holyhead, which already has afforded 
shelter to 3500 vessels during the past year, and is daily more re- 
sorted to as it becomes known. He has also resounded the packet- 
harbour at Portpatrick, and has generally examined the coast and 
harbours between Bardsey Sound and Ardrossan, including the 
newly-formed harbour at Silloth, on the English side of the Solway 
Firth, and has shown that there exists a channel, having 15 feet at 
low water, for which the mariner, in case of need, may safely run 
his vessel at a time when the tidal harbours along this portion of 
the coast cannot be approached. 
Scotland . — In Argyleshire Commanders Bedford and Creyke and 
Mr. Bourchier have been employed on the coasts of Mull, Iona, 
Ulva, and Loch Etive, with the numerous adjoining islets, in the 
course of which work they have surveyed 112 miles of sea-coast 
and loch, and sounded over 90 square miles. In the detailed 
statistics which Commander Bedford has furnished of the pro- 
gress of this season’s survey, he states that the soundings were 
obtained by one officer, Mr. Bourchier, and his boat’s crew ; and it 
may give some notion of the minuteness of the survey, when I 
mention that, in the space of 90 square miles, they took 13,000 
casts of the lead, the greatest depth being 97 fathoms. The neces- 
