THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 



273 



waves usually break, and when rolling in upon an 

 unbroken line of reef, perhaps two miles in length, 

 the spectacle is one of surpassing grandeur and 

 beauty. The island of Bolabola, however, is sur- 

 rounded by a ring of land almost unbroken, on 



BOLAOOLA. 



\Thich are growing groves of cocoa-nuts ; the reef 

 being wholly elevated above the sea. 



The openings in the reefs in the larger islands are 

 almost invariably placed opposite the mouth of a 

 river. One can readily understand, that a current 



