Redshifts of 10 quasar candidates in the field of the rich absorption linequasar Q0122--380

We have obtained low resolution (similar to 20 Angstrom FWHM) slit spectra of 10 quasar candidates located within one degree of the z = 2.181 quasar Q 0122-380 with the objective of searching for signs of large scale structure matching the intervening rich absorption complexes seen over the redshift range 1.81 less than or similar to z less than or similar to 1.97 toward th is object. Of the 8 confirmed quasars, 4 turn out to have redshifts z < 1.8 , placing them well in front of the redshift range of interest. Two of the three confirmed quasars at redshift z > 1.8 show no obvious absorption matc hing that of Q0122-380 at our spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio . The third object at a redshift of z = 1.868 displays strong z(abs) simila r to z(em) absorption systems at z similar or equal to 1.84 and z similar o r equal to 1.86 and a possibly BAL-like trough at z similar or equal to 1.7 6. If not intrinsic in nature, the former two systems could potentially be related to the absorption seen in Q0122-380, albeit over a distance of 50.' 2 (D-perpendicular to similar or equal to 13 h(-1) Mpc at z similar or equa l to 1.9).