PN CORAL ISLANDS. 211 



of the Society Isles, are great many isles, which, in some 

 parts, are above water ; in others, the elevated parts are 

 connected by reefs, some of which are dry at low wa- 

 ter, and others are constantly under water. The ele- 

 vated parts consist of a soil formed by a sand of shells 

 and coral rocks, mixed with a light black mould, produ- 

 ced from putrefied vegetables, and the dung of sea-fowls ; 

 and are commonly covered by cocoa-nut trees and other 

 shrubs, and a few antiscorbutic plants. The lower parts 

 have only a few shrubs and the above plants ; others 

 still lower, are washed by the sea at high water. All 

 these isles are connected, and include a lagoon in the 

 middle, which is full of the finest fish ; and sometimes 

 there is an opening, admitting a boat or canoe in the 

 reef, but I never saw or heard of an opening that would 

 admit a ship. 



rlHMliWPl v^vr.'t.'.TiU' V^v.-r..' -fri*^ 



The reef, or the first origin of these isles, is formed by 

 the animalcules inhabiting the lithophytes. They raise 

 their habitation within a little of the surface of the sea, 

 which gradually throws shells, weeds, sand, small bits of 

 corals, and other things, on the tops of these coral rocks, 

 and at last fairly raises them above water ; where the 

 above things continue to be accumulated by the sea, till 

 by a bird, or by the sea, a few seeds of plants, that com- 

 monly grow on the sea-shore, are thrown up, and begin 

 to vegetate ; and by their annual decay and reproduc- 

 tion from seeds, create a little mould, yearly accumulated 

 by the mixture with sand, increasing the dry spot on 

 every side ; till another sea happens to carry a cocoa- 

 nut hither, which preserves its vegetative power a long 

 time in the sea, and therefore will soon begin to grow 

 on this soil, especially as it thrives equally io all kinds of 

 soil ; and thus may all these low isles have became cover- 

 ed with the finest cocoa-nut trees. 



