A SUCCESSFUL BORING 119 



The sand showing little trace of consolidation which 

 was noticed in our boring down to 100 feet is maintained 

 in Professor David's boring down to about 100 fathoms, 

 and it is not a little remarkable that material so loosely 

 aggregated should be able to sustain itself in slopes of as 

 much as 80, such as characterise the flanks of Funafuti. 

 It is important, however, to observe that none of the 

 borings yet made have been sunk through the true grow- 

 ing substance of the atoll. They have commenced on 

 the lagoon side of the true coral-reef, and the deeper they 

 have descended, the more remote they have become from 

 the ocean flanks. The possibility exists, and should not 

 be overlooked, that a great part of the material passed 

 through in the bore-holes represents deposits of the lagoon 

 and of the fragmentary debris driven towards it by the 

 breakers. 



It will be observed that Professor David's bore-hole 

 does not traverse the whole thickness of the table-moun- 

 tain; judging from the soundings, it would have to 

 descend 20 or 30 fathoms deeper to do this, and it w^ould 

 seem likely that the material obtained from this last 20 or 

 30 fathoms might surpass in interest all the rest. Our 

 friends in Sydney fully appreciate this, and are so bent 

 on probing this question to the utmost, that they have 

 already despatched, at great pecuniary risk, an expedition 

 to make a third attempt on Funafuti, and this time to 

 carry the bore-hole right through the table-mountain. 



The boring party is at this moment at work on the 

 island, and before many weeks have elapsed we may ex- 

 pect to receive tidings of their success. A great stride 

 will then have been taken towards a final determination 

 of the long-standing controversy on the origin of atolls. * 



:;: The critical point has been passed. According to the news 

 from Funafuti (Sept. 6, 1898), the boring attained a depth of 

 987 feet, or 147 feet below the base of the steepest cliff. The 



