Year: 1868

Huxley.


In 1853, Lieutansnt Brooke obtained
mud from the bottom of the North At
lantic, between Newfoundland and the
Azores, at a depth of more than ten
thousand feet, or two miles, by the help
of his sounding apparatus. The speci-
mems were sent for examination to
Ehrenberg, of Berlin, and to Bailey, OF
West Point, and those able microsco-
pists found that this deep sea mud was
almost entirely composed of the skeletons
of living organism-the greater proper
tions of these being just like the gtobi-
qerine already known to occur in the
chalk.


Thus far the work had been carried on
simply in the interest OF science, but
Lientenant Brooke's method of sounding
acquired high commercial value when
the enterprise of laying down the tele.
praphic cable between this country and
the United States was undertaken. For
II became a matter of immense i'm
portance to know, not only the depth OF
the sea over the whole line along which
the cable was to be laid, hut the exact
nature of the bottom, so as to guard
against the chances of cutting or fraying
the strands of that costly rope.


The Admiralty consequently ordered
Capt. Dayman, an old friend and ship.
mate of mine, to ascertain the depth of
the whole line of the cable, and to bring
back specimens of the bottom. In for
mer DAYS such command as this might
have sounded very much like one of the
impossible things which the young prince
in the Fairy Tales is ordered to do
before he can obtain the hand of the
princess. However, in the months of
June and July, 1857 my friend per-
| formed the task assigned to him with
great precision, without, so far as |
know, having met with any reward Of
that kind. The specimens of Atlantic
mud which he produced were sent to me
to be examined and reported upon.


The result of all these operations is
that we know the contours and nature OF
the surface soil covered by the North At
antic for distance of 100 miles from
east to west, as we'll as we know that of
any of the dry land.
1t is prodigous plain-one OF the
widest and most even in the world. Ii
the sea were drained off you might drive
a wagon all the way from Vslentia. on
the west coast of Ireland, to Trinity Bay,
in Newfoundland. And, except one
sharp incline, about two hundred miles
from Vaentia, l am not quite sure that
it would even be necessary to put the
skid on, so gentle are the ascents and
descents upon that route. From Valen-
tia the road would lie down hill for about
two hundred miles, to the point at which
the bottom is now covered by seventeen
hundred fathoms of sea water. Then
would come the central plain, more than
thousand miles wide, the inequalities of
the surface of which would be hardly per-
ceptible, though the depth of the water
upon it varies from ten to fifteen thou
sand feet; and there are places in which
Mont Blanc might be sunk without show
ing its peak above water. Beyond this,
the ascent on the American side com
mences and gradually leads, for about
three hundred miles, to the Newfoundland
shore.


Almost the whole of the bottom of this
central pain-which extends for many
hundred miles in north and south
direction-is covered by a fne mud,
which, when brought to the surface, dries
into a grayish white friable substance.
You can write with this on blackboard,
if you are so inclined, and to the eye it
is quite like very soft, grayish chalk.
Examined chemically, it proved to be
composed almost wholly of carbonate Of
lime; and if you make section Of il in
the same way as that of piece of chalk
was made, and view it with the micro
scope, it presents innumerable GlObigs-
rin9 imbedded in the granular matrix


Thus this deep sea mud is substantially
chalk, say substantially, because there
are good many minor differences; but
as these have no bearing upon the ques-
ton Immediately before us-which is the
nature ofthe Globigsrine Of the chalk
it is unnecessary to speak OF them.