IO ON THE COKAL 



whether these marine productions are zoophytes, 

 produced by the labour of animals, or whether 

 they are produced on a vegetating principle. It 

 will be difficult to bring this matter to the test of 

 modern natural philosophy, viz. experiment : but till 

 such can be made, opinions must be various, though 

 the majority, and apparently (from Marsigli's ex- 

 periment) the best founded, incline to the belief of 

 corals being produced by vegetation. Having slight- 

 ly reviewed both sides of this curious question, and 

 having hazarded my own opinion, which can be of 

 little weight, I come now to the intention of trou-. 

 biing the Asiatic Society with these remarks, im- 

 perfect as they must appear. 



The production of islands, on the west coast of 

 Stcmafra, by the very rapid increase of this wonderful 

 plant, is a remarkable effect of the operations of 

 nature, hitherto unrecorded in the annals of natural 

 philosophy. Mr. Dalrymple alone has alleged 

 a fact, to which this account will add the weight of 

 convincing testimony. In the year 17S4, I was di- 

 rected to survey the coast of the Dutch districts on 

 the west side of the island of 'Sumatra. During the 

 course of this survey, 1 had occasion to lay down on 

 my charts several shoals, consisting of branched 

 coral, sand, and such heterogeneous matter as they 

 will resist and incorporate with themselves, when 

 impelled against them by the action of the seas, 

 winds, tide, or currents. The surfaces of these shoals 

 were at various depths, from one foot to three or 

 more fathoms. They are of a conical form, the 



ba*e, 



