38 HISTORY OF BRITISH ZOOPHYTES. 



with the same natural ease and influence as the minutest 

 plant." 



At the same time also, Henry Baker, who had written on 

 the ' Employment of the -Microscope/ discharged his last 

 arrow in defence of the mineral theory. In using the mi- 

 croscope, he had no doubt observed the beautiful and regu- 

 lar crystallizations which salts and earths and metals assume, 

 and he stoutly argued that the seeming sea-plants were no- 

 thing more than crystallizations. " The rocks in the sea," 

 he says, " on which these corals are produced, are undoubt- 

 edly replete with mineral salts, some whereof near their sur- 

 face, being dissolved by sea-water, must consequently satu- 

 rate with their saline particles the water round them to a 

 small distance, where blending with the stony matter with 

 which sea-water always abounds, little masses will be consti- 

 tuted here and there and affixed to the rocks. Such adher- 

 ing masses may be termed roots: which roots attracting the 

 saline and stony particles, according to certain laws in na- 

 ture, may produce branched or other figures, and increase 

 gradually by an apposition of particles, becoming thicker 

 near the bottom where the saline matter is more abounding, 

 but tapering or diminishing toward the extremities where 

 the mineral salts must be fewer in proportion to their 



