ARRIVAL OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4141, 29 June 1874, Page 2

ARRIVAL OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER.

Her Majesty's ship Challenger, Captain Nares, now on a scientific cruise round the world, arrived in harbor yesterday evening, having come direct from Sydney to Wellington. A large crowd assembled on the wharf as she steamed up, her appearance as she rounded the point having caused considerable surmise as to what she might be, some supposing her to be the Pearl, and others the Blanche, but the painted ports soon made it plain she was not the latter. The anchor was dropped at some distance from the end of the wharf a little before dusk, tho topgallant-masts being sent down with the quickness which only men-of-war can show.

The voyage of the Challenger has, of course, a world-wide interest, not only to all classes of scientific men, but also to us more particularly, owing to the work she has been engaged in between the Australian mainland and the New Zealand coast. The importance of the cruise has not been underrated at home, as the constant reports and articles appearing in English, American, and other papers abundantly testify; and the whole course of the vessel has been very carefully watched and recorded from the time of its commencement. Full accounts have been written of the voyage immediately preceding her arrival at each port, which have boon published in the leading journals ; and the latest are those furnished by the Melbourne and Sydney papers, at the latter of which ports the Challenger remained for a period of about two mouths. The substance of all her previous voyages has been placed before our readers at different times, and they will only be particularly interested in what has transpired with regard to the soundings and experiments made during the run across from Sydney to Wellington. The fact that the Challenger had for a special object in this part of her trip the preparation of data for tho supply of much needed information as to the prospects and expense of a cable between the Australian Continent and our own Colony, makes her report unusually interesting. Before finally leaving Sydney, the Challenger made an excursion trip out of Port Jackson, dredging and sounding a short distance from the shore, and securing many interesting specimens. The second day after she started for New Zealand she was obliged to put back from stress of weather, a heavy gale of wind blowing outside, and rendering it impossible to take any soundings or make any hauls with the net. On eventually leaving Sydney on Friday, the 12th instant, the ship ran out fifteen miles from theland, and on the line being passed down, a depth of eighty-five fathoms was the first entry. She then ran out for an hour, and recorded 120 fathoms. Another hour brought them into 290 fathoms of water, with a bottom of hard sand between the two soundings. At 2.30 p.m. 260 fathoms were sounded with a bottom of green sand and mud. The Miller-Casella thermometer, which was so elaborately explained in the October number of Naral Science for the year 1873, and which has been found of such great utility in aiding the development of one of the most abstruse investigations conducted by the scientific staff on board the Challenger, namely, the true theory of the temperature of the sea at various depths, and the rules by which that temperature is governed, was hero brought into use, and gave the temperature of tho water at tho bottom of this depth as 40-B°. After another run of two and a half hours, till five p.m., 950 fathoms were sounded, with a bottom of ooze and slimy mud, where the temperature lowered to 30 ■5". On Saturday the ship lay-to for some time, and the next sounding was taken in 1200 fathoms, the bottom showing sand and mud ; finding this depth too great for easy observation, her head was turned in shore, the next throw of the lead giving 410 fathoms. Thiswas in latitude34° 13 v S.,longitude 151° 38' E.,aud at this point the dredge was brought into use, but nothing of any importance was brought up, only a few common specimens of marine life being added to tho collection. A heavy gale of wind sprang up after this was over, and the ship got out into much deeper water, the next sounding giving 2100 fathoms, with a bottom of mud ; followed on Tuesday by still deeper water, giving 2550 fathoms, and on Wednesday tho bottom was only reached at 2(300 fathoms, the temperature being 33° at this depth. The soundings on the 19th gave the samo depth and temperature, tho bottom being chiefly a yellow mud. On the 21st, 1975 fathoms gave a bottom of white mud and a temperature of 33-o°, and on I tho 22nd tho bottom was reached at a depth of

1100 fathoms, the temperature rising to 35'7° These indications of shallower water were not without cause, for on the 23rd the vessel ran right into 400, 350, and at last into only 275 fathoms. This was -at about 200 miles distance from the laud. The question of. the nature of the bottom at this part where the land was being neared, was of course especially interesting and important, and some careful tests were made with the apparatus on board. These indicated that the bottom was of a hard, stony kind, probably rocks, these becoming more marked nearer in shore. The temperature was here 3S'so° ! giving additional evidence of a decrease in the depth of water. On the 24th, last Wednesday, I the first sounding was made at four o'clock in ■ the morning, and gave 400 fathoms; the I vessel's head was accordingly again turned inshore until half-past seven, when only 150 fathoms of water were reported. The soundings then became shallower and shallower, until at half-past eleven the bottom was reached at 75 fathoms. On the 24th, at S a.m., the line gave 42 fathoms only, and half-an-hour afterwards laud was sighted at Cape Farewell. The wind had then freshened considerably, and was blowing very hai-d from the S.E. with considerable sea, and it was decided to take shelter in Port Hardy, an inlet in the north of D'Urville's Island, which was reached at 5 p.m., in time to escape the full fury of the gale, which lasted all the next day and kept them shut up in the harbor until Saturday morning, when an attempt was made to run across, but it was still blowing so hard that the Challenger ran under shelter of Long Island in Queen Charlotte's Sound, and anchored under lee of it for the night. At 7.30 a.m. the anchor was- weighed, and she ran across ; and a strong- favoring tide setting in, she was enabled to beat up under steam and sail. The sea in the Strait was very high, and the swell caused the vessel to pitch and roll considerably. When about ten miles off the port, one of the crew, named Edward Wilton, who was standing in the chains disentangling the line from the port anchor, was washed overboard by a heavy sea. He was not missed until some minutes afterwards, when the ship was immediately rounded to, but no traces of him could be seen ; he must have gone down at once in the 6ea that was running. The Heads were reached about half-past three o'clock, and the Challenger came to an anchorage about three-quarters of an hour afterwards. It is not quite decided at present when she will leave the harbor again. She is, however, considerably behind time in this part of her cruise, most of which has been definitely laid out by the authorities at home, with dates and length of stay at the various ports. She was in Sydney for about two months, and the run across, owing to the bad weather, has occupied more than sixteen days, when it was not expected to take more than half that time. It is not likely, therefore, she will remain here more than a few days. After leaving Wellington, the Challenger is to go north to Auckland, unless the Otago people induce the scientific staff to pay them a visit, as they will make every endeavor to "do. From Auckland, after a week's stay, the course will be shaped to Tongataboo and the Fiji Islands, and a complete series of exploration and soundings will be made in these tropical parts, where it is expected also that the dredge and the net will bring even greater wonders in marine life to the surface than have yet been secured ; while the question of coral reefs and their history stand a good chance of a thorough investigation. After cruising about in Polynesia generally for some time, the Challenger goes to Hongkong, which she will make a main station for coaling, refitting, and provisioning. The general course steered during the run across between Sydney and the New Zealand Coast was East and by South, and the soundings were taken as nearly as possible on this line. The stormy rough weather which was constantly encountered prevented as many soundings being taken as could have been wished. Those obtained, however, give a very fair idea of the difficulties to be overcome in laying a cable from Australia to New Zealand, and the kind of bottom—a most important point—upon which the cable when laid will have to rest.