6 THE GEOLOGY OF BERMUDA. 



of Darwin* and Dana ; t bat their treatment of the subject is less satis- 

 factory than it would have been if these masters of the theory of coral 

 formations had had the opportunity of visiting the islands. My own 

 observations were made during a sojourn of a few weeks in the win- 

 ter of 1876-'77. It is a pleasure to me in this connection to acknowledge 

 my obligations to Prof. G. Brown Goode, of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 J. Matthew Jones, F. L. S., Maj. Gen. Sir J. H. Lefroy, Governor of 

 Bermuda at the time of my visit, Mr. James Carruthers, of Her Majes- 

 ty's Dock-yard, and Mr. C. M. Allen, United States Consul, for calling 

 my attention to interesting and instructive localities; and especially to 

 Prof. James D. Dana for most imi)ortant suggestions in regard to the 

 problems presented by the islands, communicated in a conversation just 

 before my visit. 



PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF BERMUDA. 



The reefs and islands comprised under the name of Bermuda are 

 nearly included between the parallels of 32° 10' and 32° 20' N., and be- 

 tween the meridians of 64° 40' and 65° W. from Greenwich. The line 

 of the outer reef incloses an approximately elliptical area, whose major 

 and minor axes are respectively about twenty-five and about twelve 

 miles in length. The major axis trends about N. 50° E. Only a very 

 small part of the elliptical aj-ea thus described is dry land. The dry 

 land is almost confined to the south-easterly side of the ellipse, forming 

 a narrow and broken strip about fifteen miles in length, and nowhere 

 more than three miles in width. The areas of the principal islands are 

 as follows : 



Acres. 

 The Main Island 9, 725 



St. George's Island 706 



Somerset Island 702 



David's Island 527 



Ireland Island 1 33 



The whole area of dry laud in the archii)elago is estimated at 12,378 

 acres.f 



About three quarters of the whole area of dry land is included in the 

 Main Island, or Bermuda proper. The line of the Main Island is con- 



* The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs. By Charles Darwin. Second edi- 

 tion. London, 1874. Appendix, pp. 204, 26.5. 



t Corals and Coral Islands. By James D. Dana. New York, lc79. pp. 218-221, 

 301, 370, 391, 393-395. 



t The Bermuda Pocket Almanack. Bermuda, 1877. pp. GO, 61. 



