The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-28

The government is now planning one OF the
most important and comprehensive oceanic
surveys ever undertaken. Under authority Of
recent Congressional Legislation the Bureau Of
Navigation is arranging the details Of an expe-
.diton whose mission will be to examine and
survey the waters Of the Pacific and to furnish
materials for accurately charting its vast sur
face and countless islands.
It has been but little more than three GEN.
turtles since vssco Nunez de Balboa, with rapt
admiration, first gazed upon this wondrous
sea, and Magellan navigated it and named it
from the fair weather that he met with on his
great voyage. But the time that has inter-
vened has not served to acquaint maritime M
lions with the ''Great Ocean," and already, in
this comparatively early stage of the worlds
commerce, we find SO urgent demand for
better knowledge Of it that the prin-
cipal European Powers have insti-
tuted extensive explorations of its immense
waters, its winds and currents and its innu-
merable but ever-changing archipelagoes. In
the projected expedition of our own govern
ment the first step will be to survey all that
part of the Pacific running from the coasts of
Lower California to the northwestern boun-
diaries of the United States, off Alaska and
along the Aleutian group of islands, and
thence southwark to the Sandwich Islam ds
One of the interesting and important ply
steal phenomena that will be brought under
scientific review in this preliminary explora-
ton will be the Sargasso Sea of the Pacific,
which lies to the westward Of the Lower Cali
fornia coast, and is almost as distinctly
marked as the famous Sargasso crossed by
Columbus in his first transatlantic voyage. The
expedition will also have unequalled opportu-
nifty for full investigation of the great ocean
current known as the Kuro Siwo and which
pours its immense volumes of super-heated
water on the Pacific coasts Of America, afford
ing them the best and most delicious of Ameri-'
can climates, tempering alike the heats of
summer and the colds of winter.
After the more general survey of the North
Pacific it is proposed that the expedition shall
return to Honolulu. and thence continue its
labors over the entire ocean, taking belts of lati-
tude of five degrees at time and covering the
area between the forieth parallel of north lati-
tude and the fortieth of south latitude. The
time likely to be consumed in the whole work
will be necessarily protracted over at least ten
years. But this long period will afford great
advantages for the study of numerous practical
physical problems in which the maritime world
Is now SO deeply and materially interested.
The HERALD. some months ago, suggested the
importance of the Navy Department keeping
one or two vessels constantly on such service
In tho Pacific, owing to the well-known changes
that are continually occurring in its bed OF
this we had last year signal illustration in
the sudden disappearance of Aurora Island
Tin the New Hebrides group, which sank
without leaving the smallest trace Of the spot
Of its submergence
The arrangement of plans and details for
this great survey is well en..Iusted to Captain
B. h wyman, the c1..nef of the photographic
Omce, % "-mch the results achieved will all be
elaborated and charted The credit Of urging
the importance Of such researches upon the
government and of obtaining through Con-
gress the means for prosecuting them, is
mainly due to the energy of the New York un-
'derwriters and shippers.