— 15 — 



» sccondly" is siraply an assertion made at hap hazard. ïhc 

 combination of all the species of coral builders, is required 

 for the building of a reef, in situations exposed to the brealccrs of the 

 ocean. The smaller, or more delicate filling in the chiuks and cre- 

 vices and so cementing the work as it is carried up. But, that strong 

 tides check the growth of coral , whilst strong brcakers cause it to 

 ilourish (in so far as many years observation at the Cocoshavc 

 enabled us to form an opinion), that is to the effect of «conclu- 

 dins: that the said check exists nowhere outside of Mr. Dar- 

 win's imaginative faculty. Now the lagoon may be or has to 

 be filled up, provided the bottom did not, or does not con- 

 tinue ifs downward motion. No miraculous information is re- 

 quired, but if the bottom continues to have that motion, then 

 something of that nature to be given and received bccomes 

 very desirable. Meanwhile even if the bottom should stop in 

 ifs descent, Mr. Darwin certainly sets Eolus to perform an 

 extremely long winded task, in setting hira to fill up the la- 

 goon with solid land, by bringing calcareous dust from the 

 outer coast, through a dense and lofty forest of perennial vcge- 

 tation. But be all this as it may, we must not forget that 

 he unhesitatingly assures us of the fact, which we do most readily 

 admit as being a fact, viz. that //the level of lowest low 

 water of spring tides is the extreme limit upwards to which 

 the coral builders can carry on their works." 



XIII. » Subsiclencc of the land must always be most ditYicuIt to detcct, 

 3>exceptiag ia countiics long civilized , for the movement itsclf tends to 

 »conceal all eviJenca of it. Neverthclcss at Keeling island (the Cocos_) 

 »tolcrably conclusive evidcnce of siich movement could be'obscrved. On 

 »every sidc of the lagoon, in whic'i the water U as tranquil as iu tho 

 »most sheltered lake, old coconut trees wcre undermined and falling. 

 »Captiiin FiTzuoY likcwise poiated out to me on the beach the foundation 

 »posts of a storehousc, which the inhabitants said had stood scven years 

 » befurc jiist above hiii;h water mark, but was uow daily washed l)y the tide. 

 » üpon askiiig the people whethcr they ever cxpcrienced earthcjuakcs, 

 »thcy said that latcly the island had been shaken by a very bad one, 

 » and thaf they rcmembered two othcrs during the last ten years. I no 

 » lougcr doubted coflccrning the cause, which made the trees fall, and 

 »tiio storehousc to bc washed by the daily tide." 



