IN weather of exceptional severity, Lieutenant and Commander Sharp, of H.M.S. Jackal, has just brought his second hydrographical cruise to a successful issue. The Jackal left Aberdeen on December 4, and followed approximately the same course (on. lines laid down by Mr. H. N. Dickson) as on her autumn cruise in August-September (cf. NATURE, October 30, 1902), that is to say, northwards to Lerwick, thence in a north-easterly course to near the Norwegian coast, then, westward to Faeroe and back along a somewhat more southerly track, passing between Shetland and Orkney and out into the North Sea as far as the meridian of 0°. The last observations were made on December 15. About 125 water-samples were obtained at various depths, in full series, at twenty stations, and surface samples were collected in addition hour by hour. Captain Sharp bore, on this occasion, the whole responsibility of collecting the samples and observing the temperatures, and I venture to think that, in spite of the worst possible weather, he has achieved remarkable success. The water-samples are being, estimated in the laboratory of my colleague, Prof. Walker, and when this work is done, the whole of the data will be handed over to the hydrographers; but the temperature records are in themselves interesting, so much so that I think it right to publish them in the following brief abstract.