COEALLINES. 173 



" The natural history of these islands, from its very paucity, possesses 

 peculiar interest. The cocoa-nut tree, at the first glance, seems to 

 compose the whole wood ; there are, however, five or six other trees. 

 One of these grows to a very large size, hut, from the extreme softness 

 of its wood, it is useless ; another sort affords excellent timher for 

 shipbuilding. Besides the trees, the numher of plants is exceedingly 

 limited, and consist of insignificant weeds. In my collection, which 

 includes, I believe, nearly the perfect Flora, there are twenty species, 

 without reckoning a moss, lichen, and fungus. To this numher two' 

 trees must he added, one of which was not in flower, and the other I 

 only heard of. The latter is a solitary tree of its kind, and grows 

 near the beach, where, without doubt, the one seed was thrown up by 

 the waves. 



" The next day I employed myself in examining the very interesting 

 yet simple structure and origin of these islands. The water being 

 unusually smooth, I waded over the flat of dead rock as far as the 

 living mounds of coral, on which the swell of the open sea breaks. 

 In some of the gulleys and hollows there were beautiful green and 

 other coloured fishes, and the forms and tints of many of the zoophytes 

 were admirable. It is excusable to grow enthusiastic over the infinite 

 number of organic beings with which the sea of the Tropics, so prodigal 

 of life, teems ; yet I must confess, I think those naturalists who have 

 described in well-known words the submarine grottoes, decked with a 

 thousand beauties, have indulged in rather exuberant language. 



" I accompanied Captain Fitzroy to an island at the head of the 

 lagoon ; the channel was exceedingly intricate, winding through fields 

 of delicately-branched corals. At the head of the lagoon we crossed a 

 narrow islet, and found a great surf breaking on the windward coast. 

 I can hardly explain the reason, but there is, to my mind, much 

 grandeur in the view of the outer shores of these lagoon islands. 

 There is a simplicity in the barrier-like beach, the margin of green 

 bushes and tall cocoa-nuts, the solid flat of dead coral-rock, strewed 

 here and there with great loose fragments, and the line of furious 

 breakers, all rounding away towards either hand. The ocean, throw- 

 ing its waters over the broad reef, appears an invincible, all-powerful 

 enemy ; yet we see it resisted and even conquered by means which at 

 first seem most weak and inefficient. It is not that the ocean spares 

 the rock of coral ; the great fragments scattered over the reef, and 



