Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1856-12-22
HpMehbur9 asirDimtaH.
Monday Morning. Decem'r ~. 1896.



Dobbin. Like everything that has appeared
from Maury.s PEN this Report commands the at
tention and excites the interest not only of the
American nation but of the entire civilized world.
1t embraces. in short space, all the well ascer-
tanned facts pertaining 10 the latest researches
touching matters If such high import as Sub
Oceanic Geography. Deep Sea Souudings, Ten
pcrntures Of the Ocean Mt various depths. the
Submarine felegraphc Plateau, etc. II cx-
plains upon scientific principles. the existence OF
an OPEN Arctic Sea- establishes the practicable
i,y of laying reegraphic wire, in size almost
fabulously minute, across the ocean; aud an
nounces the discovery Of the fact. upon which
the praciicabiliiy of the submarine telegraph is
based, namely of a stratum OF absolutely stu
water resting upon the bed of the ocean.
We append few of the most interesting eI-
tracts With regard to the open polar sea he
says;
Commander Rodgers, Of the North Pacific Sur
veying Expedition, has furnished few observations,
made on hoard the United States ship Nueenncs last
wear on the temperature and specific gravity Of the
water the surface midway, and at the bottom Of
the Arctic Ocean.
"Thesc observations are highly interesting. He
passed up through behring's Straits into that sea
u"l"A '"e s""i"'e' w. 49, -. ~,
III y NV ~" o =. a s,,;e
the water at various depths and places and his OBJ
so,r,,;, st,,, i,,r,l this ARA cement or STRAIT
;sa'3,, -, ,l, ma mas of Thai oceanwarm and
U,h, ,.,,c- on ton roid water in the middle and
war;, and bcavy water at the bottom
These observations festended, would go far to-
wards The final settlement OF the question of an open
sea in the Arctic ocean.
This discovery of Rodgers furnishes the only link
hat IN hag beer "
oning 10 compete from known facts the heorg of AN
omen water In the Arctic ocean and this discovery
taken in conuexion with what northern yoyagers tell
ne concerning the micration of animals in those ro-
gons: with what Dr. Kane saw and De Haven says
with The fact that harpoons fastened in whales on
the shores of Greenland have been taken out OF
whales along the shores OF Kamtschatka and Japan
these facts taken in connection with the discovery
which nv own researches have fully developed that
the right whale of Greenland and the right whale OF
the North Pacific arc the same fish and that to the
torrid zone is as n sea of flame which il pass;
say these facts linked together and taken In con-
nexon with other facts and circumstances which are
set forth At length In the publications OF this office
seem 10 form chain of faultless circumstnntM evil
dence showing the existence OF an open water in the
polor basin
Could il be explored there nre other circumstan-
ces Ia encourage the expectaton that the nursery Of
the whales would be discovered there, with other
sonrc.s al wealth Ia our e,ter,ri Il no fl her nen
-. -, ,; 100 al,
nv ,'' "'"'' ',e
grapmc chn'e IL mus aispfnVea'
Deep-sea soundings with specimens OF the bottom.
have also been returned this Office from that eApe-
dilen. They were taken in the North Pacific with
Brvohe apparatus, aud have been studod Though
the mierosrope Of Professor Bailey nj West Point
They all tell the same .tory. They teach ns that
the quiet of he grave reigns everywhere in tho pro-
found depths OF the ocean that the rcPoso there is
beyond the reach ofwud ii is 50 perfect that none
of the powers of earth save only The earthquake and
voeaea, can disturb il.
The specimens of deep.Fea soundngs, for which we
are Indebted 10 the ingenuity Of Lieut. Brooke are as
pure and free from the sand of the the snow
fnke that falls when il is calm upon the sea is from
the dust OF the earth Indeed these soundings sug-
rest Tie idea thai the sea like the snow-clond with
its .,akes in calm IS always letting fall upon It's bed
showers Cihcsp microscopic shcl. and we NAV
readily imav that the sunless wrecks which strew
its bottom are in the process OF ages hid under this
heecv co,cring presenting the rounded appearance
which Is seen over the BODY of the traveller who has
persisted in the snow storm The ocean especall,
within and near the tropias swarns with life. The
remains of its ulyriAds 1T moving things are conveyed
by currents aud scattered aud lodged in the course
of time All over H. bottom This process continued
for ages has covered the DEPTHS Of the ocean rs with
mantle consisting of organisms as delicate AS the ma
oed fros, and as bcht AZ the undrned snow fake on
the mountain Haary's Physical Geoqyaphy Of n,
Sea
Whenever This beautiful sonndng-rod has reached
the bottom of the deem sea- whether in the Atlantic
or Pacific the bed of the ocean has been found of
down.nke softnes, The lend appenrs 10 sink many
feet deem into The oozy matter there which has been
strained and filtered through the sea water This
matter consists q. the skeletons and casts of insects
of tn, sea of mirroscopie miuuieness
The fact that the currents do not reach down to
the haitian, If Tho d. ssa tbere ar no abrsding
agents at work there save alone the rnawiny tooth
OF time; that n rome of ,and IL stretched upon the
bed Of the ocean, would be cable strong enough to
hold the longest teevrapbic wire that All can draw
these with other discoveries made in the course OF