fcanic earth and rocks at tlie base of the rocky rul(,'('; 

 I have not had any opportunity of ascertaining what 

 lies beneath the sand on the southern side of the is- 

 land. A little to the north of the moveable sand-bank 

 we find lodges of sand-stone of the same character as 

 those of Flat island; and still more north is the com- 

 mencement of the reef of volcanic blocks and coral 

 masses which stretches to Flat island. Again to the 

 north the shore is composed of volcanic rocks of very 

 irregular form into the hollows of which a quantity of 

 worn coral pebbles and course sand is washed among 

 which I found foraminiferous shells of very large size. 

 Higher on the shore are sand intermixed with coral 

 blocks and volcanic detritus and blocks which extend 

 for a considerable distance forming a narrow belt to the 

 central volcanic rocks. 



Bevond this and more to the East, nearly facing 

 Round Island, a peculiar formation, traces of which 

 here and there visible on the volcanic rocks commences 

 in a point which stretches out some distance into the 

 sea and which is most interesting in a geological point 

 of vioAv ; for on this point as well as the shore reach- 

 ing eastward to the rocky islet which forms the eastern 

 point of the island we find the fossilised remains of an, 

 extensive forest, consisting of strumps of trees of 

 which I counted nearly 200 on this point alone. The 

 strumps themselves, closely planted, are about 2 feet 

 high, hollow in the centre to the base, some of them 

 two feet in diameter. They are evidently for the most 

 part endogens, and these present very much the ap- 

 pearance of the enlarged bases of palms. The outer 

 crust is hard, lined on inner and hollowed surface by a 

 loose intertwined network of coarse fibres such as are 

 seen in the interior of cocoa and other palms and screw 

 pines fracoas.J On the worn perpendicular sides of 

 the cliff and on some parts of the denuded surface 

 roots are thickly intertwined and the still finer fibres of 

 the roots appear to form the chief part of the stratum 

 which is otherwise hard and structureles resembling a 

 muddy substance subsequently calcified. This stra- 

 tum is about 15 feet deep ; it lies on a thin stratum of 

 coral and sea shell which again lies on the volcanic 



