ST. AUGUSTIN TO BAHAMA ISLANDS 287 



and steep points of rock emerging from the depths of 

 the sea. If, besides, the character of these rock-masses 

 is taken into consideration, broken as they are by nu- 

 merous holes and hollows (at least such is the appear- 

 ance above the surface) there might seem to be ground 

 for the fear that the foundations of these islands may 

 be easily moved, and a subterranean convulsion may 

 bring about a dreadful destruction among them. 

 Happily, these islands seem to be safe from such a 

 calamity ; at any rate not the least trace of an earth- 

 quake has as yet been felt here ; even when, in the 

 other West India islands near-by or on the main-land, 

 earth-quakes have wrought extreme havoc. It is even 

 probable that the mineral material, necessary for the 

 production of subterranean fires or of expansive gases, 

 is lacking in the interior of these rocky islands ; at 

 the least, not the smallest trace of any ore-bearing sub- 

 stance has thus far been found. 



The fear that these islands might at some time sud- 

 denly disappear, seems to me therefore to be as little 

 grounded as the remark that they are everywhere ex- 

 posed to a destructive force, are palpably diminishing, 

 and that no least sign of a cognizable augmentation of 

 them is to be anywhere made out. For it is known 

 well enough that the western points of all the West 

 Indian islands are exactly the opposites of the eastern. 

 The latter, it is true, are steep and broken, undeniably 

 of a distorted look, since exposed to the incessant beat 

 of the ocean from the east; whereas the former, the 

 sea being quieter there, are flatter and, according to 

 the observations of ships' captains, rather increase 

 than diminish. 



Providence Island has many caves and clefts, larger 



