1836.] KEELING ISLAND. 329 



CHAPTER XX. 

 KEELING ISLAND: CORAL FORMATIONS. 



Keeling Island Singular Appearance Scanty Flora Transport of Seeds 

 Birds and Insects Ebbing and Flowing Springs Fields of Dead Coral 

 Stones transported in the Roots of Trees Great Crab Stinging Corals 

 Coral-eating Fish Coral Formations Lagoon Islands or Atolls- 

 Depth at which Reef-building Corals can Live Vast Areas interspersed 

 with Low Coral Islands Subsidence of their Foundations Barrier Reefi 

 Fringing Reefs Conversion of Fringing Reefs into Barrier Reefs, and 

 into Atolls Evidence of Changes in Level Breeches in Barrier Reefs 

 Maldiva Atolls ; their Peculiar Structure Dead and Submerged Reefs- 

 Areas of Subsidence and Elevation DistriVNtion of Volcanos Sub- 

 sidence Slow, and Vast in Amount. 



April ist. WE arrived in view of the Keeling or Cocos Islands, 

 situated in the Indian Ocean, and about six hundred miles distant from 

 the coast of Sumatra. This is one of the lagoon-islands (or atolls) of 

 coral formation, similar to those in the Low Archipelago which we 

 passed near. When the ship was in the channel at the entrance, Mr. 

 Liesk, an English resident, came off in his boat. The history of the 

 inhabitants of this place, in as few words as possible, is as follows. 

 About nine years ago, Mr. Hare, a worthless character, brought from 

 the East Indian Archipelago a number of Malay slaves, which now, 

 including children, amount to more than a hundred. Shortly after- 

 wards, Captain Ross, who had before visited these islands in his 

 merchant-ship, arrived from England, bringing with him his family and 

 goods for settlement ; along with him came Mr. Liesk, who had been a 

 mate in his vessel. The Malay slaves soon ran away from the islet on 

 which Mr. Hare was settled, and joined Captain Ross's party. Mr. 

 Hare upon this was ultimately obliged to leave the place. 



The Malays are now nominally in a state of freedom, and certainly 

 are so, as far as regards their personal treatment ; but in most other 

 points they are considered as slaves. From their discontented state, 

 from the repeated removals from islet to islet, and perhaps also from 

 a little mismanagement, things are not very prosperous. The island 

 has no domestic quadruped, excepting the pig, and the main vegetable 

 production is the cocoa-nut. The whole prosperity of the place 

 depends on this tree : the only exports being oil from the nut, and the 

 nuts themselves, which are taken to Singapore and Mauritius, where 

 they are chiefly used, when grated, in making curries. On the 

 cocoa-nut, also, the pigs, which are loaded with fat, almost entirely 

 subsist, as do the ducks and poultry. Even a huge land-crab is fur- 

 nished by nature with the means to open and feed on this most useful 

 production. 



The ring-formed reef of the lagoon-island is surmounted in the 

 greater part of its length by linear islets. On the northern or leeward 

 side, there is an opening through which vessels can pass to the 

 anchorage within. On entering, the scene was very curious and rather 



