70) CORALS AND CORAL ISLANDS. 
Expedition, and from the vessel we observed that the rim of 
land consisted for miles of an even wall of coral rock, appar- 
ently six or eight feet above high tide. This wall was broken 
into rude columns, or excavated with arches and caverns; in 
some places the sea had carried it away from fifty to one hun- 
dred rods, and then there followed again a line of columns, 
and walls, with occasional arches as before. The reef, for- 
merly lying at the level of low tide, had been raised above the 
sea, and subsequently had undergone degradation from the 
waves. ‘The standing columns had some resemblance in cer- 
tain parts to the masses seen here and there on the shore plat- 
forms of other islands; but the latter are only distantly scat- 
tered masses, while on this island, for the greater part of the 
course, there were long walls of reef-rock. The height, more- 
over, was greater, and they occurred too on the leeward side 
of the island, ranging along nearly its whole course, while the 
north side, according to the map, 7s wooded throughout. 
The elevation here indicated is at least sia feet; but it 
may have been larger; the observations were made from ship- 
board. 
Thirty miles to the southward of Dean’s Island, we 
come to 
Metia.—This island has already been described, and its el- 
evation stated at two hundred and fifty feet. (See page 193.) 
Clermont Tonnerre shows the same evidence of elevation 
from Tridacnas, as Honden Island. Clermont Tonnerre and 
Honden are on the northeastern limits of the Paumotus. 
Elizabeth Island was early shown to be an elevated coral 
island by Beechey. This distinguished voyager represents 
it as having perpendicular cliffs over fifty feet_in height, 
From his description it is obviously like Metia; the elevation 
