12, ON THE CORAL 



ed these shoals, which, had they appeared at any 

 former period, must have been remarked, their situ- 

 ation being clearly and distinctly exposed to the daily 

 and immediate observation of the settlement. At 

 the distance of seven miles from Fort Marlborough* 

 nearly in a south-west direction, there is a small 

 island, having a few cocoa-nut trees in it. Thirty 

 miles (or it may be twenty-five) .distant from this 

 island, one of the northern pepper settlements, is situat- 

 ed on a rising ground. The gentleman residing there 

 has informed me, that he has always been able to 

 distinguish the masts of vessels lying at anchor near 

 this island, and that he lately twice distinctly, in the 

 proper bearing, observed the trees of the island : but 

 that, afterwards, from hazy weather, or some other 

 affection of the atmosphere, he could not perceive the 

 island, or rather the trees on it. Former residents 

 of Laye, the place of observation, have, in vain, 

 when using the best glasses, looked for this island, 

 invisible till lately. Such are the stubborn facts 

 which may be adduced in proof, not only of the very 

 rapid growth of coral, but also of the formation of 

 islands from it, as a necessary, and observed, con- 

 sequence. The growth of coral alone may not pro- 

 duce this effect: other aiding circumstances may in- 

 tervene. Boccone and Marsigli have remarked, 

 that, when coral meets with stones, coarse sand, or 

 any other substances, it seizes them firmly, and 

 speedily includes them within a strong extension of 

 its close ramifications. These collections in seas, 

 subject to frequent storms and agitations, must be con- 

 siderable. 



