(**Footnote.  There is reason to suppose the Curral to have been the principal, although not the only centre of that submarine volcanic action, during the continuance of which Madeira first emerged from the sea, an event, which the evidence afforded by the limestone fossils of St. Vincente (on the north side of the island) associates with the tertiary epoch.  See Paper by Dr. J. Macaulay in Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal for October 1840.)

Although it is now the middle of winter, today’s excursion afforded many subjects of interest to a naturalist.  Some beautiful ferns, of which even the commonest one (Adiantum capillus-veneris) would have been much prized by an English botanist as a very rare British species, occurred on the dripping rocks by the roadside, and many wild plants were in flower on the lower grounds.  Even butterflies of three kinds, two of which (Colias edusa and Cynthia cardui) are also found in Britain, occurred, although in small numbers, and at the Pass of the Curral coleoptera of the genera Pimelea and Scarites, were met with under stones along with minute landshells, Bulimus lubricus, Clausilia deltostoma, and a Pupa.

Leave Madeira.

After a stay of eight days, we left Madeira for Rio de Janeiro, and on January 2nd picked up the south-east trade wind, and passed through the Cape de Verde Islands to the southward between Mayo and St. Jago.  Two days afterwards, in latitude 9 degrees 30 minutes North, and longitude 22 degrees 40 minutes West, a slight momentary shock, supposed to be the effect of an earthquake, was felt throughout the ship.

Try for deep-sea soundings.

On the 11th an attempt was made to strike deep-sea soundings, but failed from the drawing of a splice used to connect two portions of the spun-yarn employed.  On the following day the attempt was repeated by Captain Stanley, unsuccessfully, however, no bottom having been obtained at a depth of 2400 fathoms.  Still a record of the experiment may be considered interesting.  At three P.M., when nearly becalmed in latitude 1 degree North, and longitude 22 degrees 30 minutes West (a few hours previous to meeting the south-east trade) the second cutter was lowered with 2600 fathoms of line (six yarn spun-yarn) in her, coiled in casks, and a weight consisting of twelve 32 pounds shot—­in all, 384 pounds, secured in a net bag of spun yarn.  The jolly-boat was in attendance to tow the cutter as fast to whirlwind as she drifted, so as to keep the line during the time it was running out as nearly up and down as possible.  The following table shows when each 100 fathoms passed over the stern, the whole 2400 fathoms of line having taken 38 minutes and 40 seconds to run out: 

Column 1:  Fathom mark. 
Column 2:  Time of passing (in minutes and seconds).

100 :  1 0. 200 :  2 5. 300 :  2 30. 400 :  3 35. 500 :  5 0. 600 :  6 15. 700 :  7 35. 800 :  9 0. 900 :  10 35. 1000 :  12 40. 1100 :  13 30. 1200 :  15 10. 1300 :  17 5. 1400 :  19 0. 1500 :  20 50. 1600 :  22 30. 1700 :  24 25. 1800 :  26 30. 1900 :  29 10. 2000 :  31 0. 2100 :  32 55. 2200 :  35 0. 2300 :  36 55. 2400 :  38 40.