270 THE INFLUENCE OF INANIMATE SURROUNDINGS. 



were formed during a period of elevation, if we duly realise in 

 our mind the effects that must have ensued from the combined 

 action of upheaval and of more or less constant currents on the 

 form of the growing reef. To the eastward the impact of the 

 current on the island is perpendicular to the face of the coast ; 

 it therefore beats upon the slowly rising sea-bottom, and, being 

 tolerably strong in itself, it prevents the perpendicular growth 

 of the reef corals. The result is that the reef itself is driven 

 very close to the coast. Moreover, between it and the foot of 

 the land no deep channel can be formed by currents, for here 

 the very hard black rock of the Andesite cliff pi-events any such 

 rapid grinding down as is easily effected in the coralline limestone. 

 On the west coast it is otherwise. Here the currents rarely 

 impinge directly on the face of the reef, but only at an angle. 

 I have already shown that wherever stixmg currents sweep 

 past a reef at an angle these are forced to grow perpendicularly or 

 nearly perpendicularly upwards ; this is everywhere the case on 

 the western shore. The fact that the outer reef here is separated 

 from the islands by a channel above forty fathoms deep and 

 many miles wide, finds an easy and unforced explanation on the 

 assumption of an upheaval. It is certain that the enclosed 

 island of Babelthuap was formerly much broader than it now 

 is, as is proved by the existence of the little island in front of 

 Roll (see Map), which is now far from the land on the surface 

 of the inner reef. Now, if we suppose as we must even on the 

 theory of a subsidence that the island, which here consists 

 almost entirely of tufas, originally extended nearly to the 

 western outer reef, only narrow fringing reefs could have ori- 

 ginally been formed on the western side ; but these must from 

 the first have grown pei-pendicularly, because they were impinged 

 on by tangential currents ; and since the tufa on this side could 

 offer but a feeble resistance to the action of surface-water and 

 rain, as well as of the surf beating on it, a small channel might 

 soon be formed between the reef proper and the coast. This 

 channel would presently grow wider, in proportion as the enclosed 

 island, consisting of soft stone, was gradually eaten away, and 

 during slow iipheaval it would continue to grow deeper, in pro- 

 portion as the old porous portions of the reef and the rock in 



