Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-12-20
THE GAZETTE.
Christmas Coming !!

From the sepulchres Of centuries, where The
early ages sleep,
Where the spectres of departed time, their long
grim vigils keep,
From where the long age, Ia dsrkencd shadows
cast,
There comes upon times crumplcd chart,
story Of the past.
Oh \ world of sin and darkness; OF hopelessness
and shame;
OF a God Creators promise how Great Re
deemer came.
Of the coming OF the angels; AMI the hinss
that they bring;
Orthe birthing in manger, OF Saviour and
King;
How at night TO watching shepherds, angels
bare the news to them,
How from out q dark horizon, rose tce star OF
Bethlehem;
How il shone throughout the ages, a. the cen
turtles passed away
Even to the living present, this our happy
Christmas day.
The DEEP SEA WORLD. very inter
e.ting facts to biologists and DaturaIlsts nave
been developed by one or too deep sea eXpIora
tons, made by direction Ofthe british Govern
ment, under the supervision OF Dr CarpenteT'
Professor WyviIe Thompson, aud Mr.. Gwyn
Jeffreys, and report OF which was read lately
at the meeting OF the Royal Society in London.
The paper was very lengthy and very in
teresting one, from which we have condensed
few of its most important features, la 1t
many facts were established diamstrcaiy op
posed to previous belief. For Instance, 1t had
been held that at a depth OF 500 iathOms all
life would cease, aud that the deep sea tempe
rature everywhere was 80 degrees: bur u Is
proved that lite existed at much greater depths
and that there was considerable variance 10
temperature There was found to be u difference
10 bottom temperature OF from y 10 II de
grees within eight or ten miles, the bottom at
the lower temperature being formed oi rock,
inhabited by Scapty fauna OF an arctic character
while that of the higher area was com"oSed o.
a more abundant fauna with characteristics due
TO "a more temperate climate THIS upSets the
theory previously entertained, that when these
formations are found together on land they
must have been separated from each other 10y
long periods and strikes at the root OF geoogi
cal assumptions regarding time. At the north
ern extremity of the Bay of Biscay the dreGgo
was worked at the extraordinary depth % ,,
ABS tathoms, which is nearly equa' 10 the
height OF Mont Blanc, aud 800 feet deeper
than the bed of the Atlantic cable. On many
occasions dredge weighing eight hundred
weight, and carrying oue aud hat hundred
weight OF mud, was brought up tr0tn depth
Of $500 fathoms.
Regarding sea temperature, II was found
that it varied considerably with differences OF
latitude aud seasons; out when high declined
rapidly, and was lost at about 100 tathoms
In deep water there was u rapid decline 10
about 900 fathoms, at which u temperature
of So was found and at 2,435 ieth0ms there
was further tai 10 3G.5 This showed that
the general temperature OF the North Atiautlc
hasin was higher than that unler che tquetor
OF in the Arabian Cult, which falls tn 30, or
even lower
The abundance OF animal lite even IN the
deepest ocean abySSes was most extraordinary
from the protouudeSt depths animals OF high
organization AMI with perfect eyes were brought
up, including siliceous sponge and ioramin'era,
and z1ophytcs cchinodcrms. molIuSes. anne
lids, and crustaceans. Altogether III new
species of molluscl were found Sea water was
brought up from various depths for chemical
ANALYSIS. rs To the character OF It's retained
gases Near the surface the gas consisted OF
about "a or - per cent, OF carton!c 3c'd
rest chiefly oxygen and nitrogen hut at 10
iathoms the proportion OF carbOnc acid reached
- per cent, After the surface OF the ocean
had been agtated by wind, the carbolic acid
was much diminished, the inference being that
the agitation liberated the carbonlc acid, thus
permitting the ascent OF that in constant lorna
ton BY the abundance OF animal lie below, and
thus rendering the continuance oi HE possible
10 the depths of the ocean.