— 18 — 



otlier of its peculiarities , and someliow conuected Vv'ith tlie for- 

 mer, but, seeing tliat Mr. Darwin assures us, that the earth- 

 quakes at Vanikoro Island in the Pacific, have the same eflect, 

 we are left to imagine, that the phenomenon can only be ac- 

 counted for on the principle, that is said to have been memo- 

 randed by a certain physician, to wit,// eating a red herring is 

 // a cure for a sick Eiiglishman , but death for a sick Prenchman." 



XIV. »At Vanikoro, the encirclecl island alread}' mentioned, I g.itliered 

 »from captaiu Dillon's accDuut, that the allmial Innd at tlie foot of ihe 

 »mountain was veiy smali in quantity, the channol extremely deep and 

 »lhe islets on the reef itself, which resnlt from the gradnal nccumulation 

 » of frngmcnts, .singuliirly few iu number, all of wlic'i together with the 

 »\val!ike structuve of the reef, both iu&ide as well as outside, indicated 

 » to niy miud, that without doubb the movements of subsiJenco had late- 

 » ly been rapid; at the end of the chapter it is stated, that tliis island is 

 » shaken by earthquakes of extreme violeucc." 



Caplain Dit.lon did not profess to minutely describe the 

 island geologically , but merely as a sailor, taking a brief 

 A'ievï^ of its most obvious features. But the adage, various men 

 various minds, is well exemplified in the present iustance, by 

 the fact, that the phenomena which, to Mr. Darwin's mind, 

 indicated without doubt, that the movements of subsidence had 

 lately been rapid, indicated to mine, almost, tho' not quite so 

 certainly, that the island plug is of comparatively recent upri- 

 sing from it's crater-cradle and is stiil progressing upwards. 



XV. »I may here mention a circumstance which , to nij' miud, had 

 »ilie same weight as pot^itive cvidence, tho' beaiiug on aiiother part of 

 » the qucstion. Mr. Quot , when di-ciissing in general terms the nature 

 »of coral rsefs, gives a desciiplion, which is applicable only tothose, which 

 »skirtiiig the shore, do not requirc a foundation at any greater dejith, 

 »than that from which the cural-building polijpi can spring. I was at first 

 wastoui^liud at tl. is, as I knew, he had crossed both the Pacific and Iri- 

 »dian cceans and raust, as I thonght, have seen the class videly encir- 

 »cHng rccfs, which indicute a subi-iling land. He subscqnently mcntions 

 »scveral islands, as iustaiiccs of his description of the general structurc. 

 »By a biugular chanco, the wliolc can be shewn by liis own words ia 

 «dilfercnt parts of liis account to have been rccently elevated. Thore- 

 »fore, that M'liich appearod so advcrsc to the thcory, becamo as strong 

 »in il's confirmation." 



