324 Corals and Coral- Islands. [Sess. 



proceeded to transport the diamond-drill plant and scientific 

 instruments to a convenient spot near the outer edge of the 

 reef, and a suitable site was found for commencing drilling 

 operations. With 100 tons of coal to keep the boilers going, 

 the diamond-drill men started on their arduous task, and got 

 down 200 feet without leaving the coral in situ, through what 

 they call " the toughest material they had ever tackled." 

 Boring was continued, however, until in December 1897 it 

 was reported that a depth of 700 feet had been reached, the 

 drill being still in solid coral, and there could be no reasonable 

 doubt that the substance had subsided from the surface, and 

 that fresh accretions by the indefatigable coral-worker had 

 continually renewed the top of the reef by what Darwin 

 called " a renovating agency." Seeing that the coral-builders' 

 life-zone is only from 120 to 150 feet below sea-level, and 

 that, in spite of frequent breakages, the drillers got to the 

 depth above stated, it is evident that the theory regarding 

 coral-islands formulated by Darwin over fifty years ago has 

 been established by these recent experiments. 



Professor Dana states that " there are 290 larger coral- 

 islands in the Pacific Ocean, representing an area of 20,000 

 square miles." In addition, these tiny architects have built 

 up a barrier reef along the shores of New Caledonia for a 

 length of 400 miles, and another barrier reef which runs 

 along the north-east coast of Australia, 1000 miles in extent. 

 These vast edifices of the coral polyp have been raised in the 

 midst of the ocean waves, and in defiance of the tempests 

 which so rapidly annihilate the strongest works of man. 

 Allowing for the operation of " a renovating agency " on the 

 top of the reef, there must have been a series of gradual 

 subsidences of the rocky basis from the shore seawards, carry- 

 ing the fringing reef downwards to enormous depths. Who 

 from this can conceive the antiquity of the globe we now 

 inhabit, or the countless ages that have passed since the 

 atoms of which it is formed were first brought together by a 

 Divine Creator ? 



In geological formation the south end of the New Hebrides 

 and the north end of New Zealand bear a striking re- 

 semblance, so that it is possible the one may at some time 

 have been a continuation of the other. In both regions the 





