| RefNo | MS/257/1/304 |
| AltRefNo | Sa.304 |
| Previous numbers | ES1/48/304 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Official letter from William Benjamin Carpenter, University of London, Burlington House to Edward Sabine |
| Date | 21 March 1870 |
| Description | Carpenter has been unable to submit the report of the ‘porcupine expedition’ [reference to the deep-sea explorations using ‘HMS Porcupine’] to the Royal Society, so it can form the basis of the Council to promote the extension of their research, but intends to include the report in the next proceedings. Carpenter suggests that they should no longer delay in making their application to the admiralty to extend their enquiries. The general results of last years work have been discussed in Carpenter’s lecture at the Royal Institution and can serve as a justification.
Carpenter discusses the plan marked out by Carpenter and his colleagues in last years work, and describes the work needed to be carried out at different stages of the journey. Physical and zoological work should be carried out when approaching the Straits of Gibraltar, including research into the current between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic sea, and relation between the Mediterranean fauna and the Atlantic. This work will be carried out by Mr [John] Gwyn Jeffreys with possible assistance from Professor [Charles] Wyville Thomson. Carpenter intends to join the ship [‘HMS Porcupine’] in Gibraltar with one of his sons as an assistant, and to undertake a complete survey of the Straits of Gibraltar, then moving on to the Mediterranean making sketches of the coasts of Europe and Africa. Carpenter intends to reach Malta by the middle of September, refers to the animal life in the region, and hopes to find species previously thought to be extinct. Discussion on the physics of the Mediterranean. |
| Extent | 12p |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink on paper |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA2869 | Carpenter; William Benjamin (1813 - 1885); naturalist | 1813 - 1885 |
| NA8279 | Sabine; Sir; Edward (1788 - 1883) | 1788 - 1883 |