in the Pacific^ ^c. 159 



fic and Indian Oceans, coral abounds every where between 

 the tropics for a space of about six thousand leagues from 

 east to west, it does not exist on the west coast of South 

 America (at least south of the eighth parallel of latitude,) nor 

 do we meet with any coral islands within the whole space of 

 nearly eight hundred leagues to the westward of it. 



Even at the Galapagos, situated directly upon the Equator, 

 there are no traces of a coral reef. This absence of coral 

 formations in portions of the same parallel in which their 

 most profuse display is presented, has by some been referred 

 to one of those inexplicable, apparent caprices of nature, be- 

 yond man's ability to fathom, analogous to the well-known 

 fact, that certain classes of plants which flourish luxuriantly 

 in the other hemisphere, will not thrive at all in situations and 

 climates seemingly in every respect adapted to their growth, 

 in our own. It is my impression, that in the Atlantic the 

 same absence of coral characterizes a large portion of the South 

 American coast, and the outlying intertropical islands, such 

 as Trinidad, Martin Vas, and Fernando Noronha ; while it 

 abounds in the same parallels north of the line, among the 

 Antilles, and even in the latitude of 32° we find a very con- 

 siderable group of coral reefs, and islands of coral limestone. 

 At the Cape Yerde Islands, and I think the Canaries jilso, 

 we have again an entire absence of such formations, although 

 the former are 17 degrees nearer the Equator than Bermuda. 



On the east coast of South America, this may perhaps be 

 attributed partly to the immense bodies of fresh water poured 

 into the Atlantic from those great streams, which rolling in 

 turbid floods through a course thousands of miles in length, 

 empty themselves at various points from near the Equator to 

 the latitude of 35°. It is well known to what £m astonishing 

 distance their waters are carried along the coast, unmingled 

 with those of the ocean, and loaded with a fine, impalpable 

 mud. This must unquestionably be highly deleterious to 

 the coral polypes, if not suflicient to utterly prevent their 

 growth, as they require the purest ocean water for their suc- 

 cessful developement. 



But I am persuaded, after a careful examination of the facts, 



