THE ORIGIN OF CORAL REEFS. 67 
dissolve carbonate of lime, explain themselves. We can see vera 
causa of the phenomena, and it would be unphilosophical to search 
further. This, however, does not relate to the elevatory movement 
from beneath, which has, in so many instances, raised the coral banks 
into islands, and even into cliffs and hills. This movement is not 
connected with the peculiar forms of atolls and reefs. I presume 
that the celebrated hyphothesis of Mr. Darwin, first given to the 
world in 1837, and often repeated since, must be considered to be 
abandoned.” 
Permit me, in conclusion, to refer to a paper ‘On the Tidal 
Currents of the Ocean,” read by Mr. J. Y. Buchanan, M.A., F.R.S.E., 
before the Royal Society last month, in which I find some con- 
cluding remarks, which have a certain bearing upon the subject 
before us this evening. He says :— 
“These currents, in sweeping clean the rocky eminences at the bottom 
of the ocean, prepare a lodging place for deep-sea corals, and bring food to 
them when settled, thus enabling them to build up their pillar-like banks, 
a very fine example of which was discovered and surveyed by the Dacia 
on the 12th October, 1883. It lies in lat. 34° 57’ N., long. 13° 57’ W., and 
the shoalest sounding was 435 fathoms. The surface of the bank was 
locally very rough, and sloped gradually to the edge in about 550 fathoms, 
when it terminated in an actual precipice, dropping to 835 fathoms in one 
place. The coral on this bank was living and growing in the greatest 
luxuriance, and many specimens which were brought up showed that the 
living corals were growing on a mass of dead ones. There can, therefore, 
be little doubt that in this case we have a submarine bank which is in 
vigorous growth towards the surface, and which has been in existence long 
enough to have risen through a height of about 300 fathoms, or 1,800 feet. 
I have little doubt that, in a large number of the coral islands of the Pacific, 
the intermediate platform between the tropical reef-building coral and the 
volcanic peak, plateau, and ridge, which most probably form the foundation, 
is formed by these deep-sea corals, largely assisted by annelids, especially 
serpule, which secrete calcareous tubes. The tidal currents assist their 
growth both by bringing the animals nourishment, and by removing light 
débris which might choke them.” 
Dr. Guppy, in reply, said :—To begin at the end, that is, in 
reference to the remarks of Mr. Buchanan, I would say that he to 
some extent removes one of the objections against Mr. Murray’s 
views, and that is, that it was difficult to imagine that so many 
volcanic peaks could be raised up to the surface of the sea or near 
the surface to form the foundation for the coral. Of course, in the 
neighbourhood of big groups of islands like the Solomon Islands, 
you have an immense amount of débris washed down from the reef, 
F 2 
