292 CORALS AND CORAL LSLANDS. 



sands much greater height than they have in the Paumotus. 

 Birjiie's Isla?id is a small bank of coral, only six feet above the 

 sea, according to Wilkes (Narr. v. 4). 



Gard?iers, HiilVs^ Sydney, and Newmarket were visited by 

 the Wilkes Expedition. No satisfactory evidences of elevation 

 were observed on the first three. Newmarket is stated by 

 Captain Wilkes to have a height of twenty-five feet, which 

 would indicate an elevation of six or eight feet. 



h. Sandwich or Hawaian Islands. — Oahu affords decisive 

 proof of an elevation of twenty-five or thirty feet. There is an 

 impression at Honolulu, derived from a supposed increasing 

 height in the reef off the harbour, that the island is slowly 

 rising. Upon this point we have nothing satisfactory. The 

 present height of the reef is not sufficiently above the level 

 to which it might be raised by the tides, to render it certain, 

 from this kind of evidence, that the suspected elevation is in 

 progress. 



Kauai presents us with no evidence that the island, at the 

 present time, is at a higher level than when the coral reefs 

 began ; or, at the most, no elevation is indicated beyond a 

 foot or two. The drift sand-rock of Koloa appears to be a 

 proof of elevation, from its resemblance to that of Northern 

 Oahu;' but if so, there must have been a subsidence, since, 

 as it now forms a cliff on the shore that is gradually wearing 

 away. 



Molokai, according to information from the Rev. Mr. 

 Andrews, has coral upon its declivities three hundred feet 

 above the sea. 



Mr. Andrews, in his communication, informed the author 

 that the coral occurs " upon the acclivity of tlie eastern or 

 highest part of the island, over a surface of more than twenty 

 or thirty acres, and extends almost to tlie sea. We had no 

 means of accurately measuring the height ; but the specimens 

 were obtained at least thre heundred feet above the level of 

 the sea, and probably four hundred. The specimens have 

 distinctly the structure of coral. The distance from the sea 

 was two to three miles." 



