THE BAHAMAS AND BERMUDAS 293 



coral. This view was strengthened by his examination, 

 the following year, of the so-called small Serpuke atolls 

 in the Bermudas, which are undoubtedly made in this 

 way. But his judgment in the matter was still in the 

 balance, for he asks, " How deep can it act on a large 

 scale so as to produce an effective result ? " 



The next anchorage was on Crooked Island Bank, 

 where the pilot managed to find two and a half fathoms, 

 at a spot marked one fathom on the chart. Leaving 

 Crooked Island the yacht visited Long Island and Great 

 Exuma, steamed along the line of cays that skirt Exuma 

 Sound, and entering the bank at Conch Cut crossed to 

 the Tongue of the Ocean, and so back to Nassau. 



On his second cruise he explored the bank as far as 

 Great Ragged Island, the point from which Columbus 

 sailed for Cuba. From there Agassiz struck across to 

 Baracoa on the northeastern end of Cuba, and cruised 

 along the north shore as far as Havana, stopping at 

 numerous ports and islands to examine the geology of the 

 coast. He was much interested in the flask-shaped har- 

 bors, so characteristic of the Cuban shores, and came to 

 the conclusion that they were due to the gradual cutting 

 away of the drainage area, of which they are the sinks, 

 during the elevation of the coast. Everywhere he was 

 received with the greatest courtesy and consideration, 

 the captains of all the ports having been instructed to 

 allow him to go in and out as he pleased, without the 

 usual formalities. 



The following letter was written at various times after 

 leaving Havana, as the ship zigzagged from island to 

 island back to Nassau : — 



