380 Mr. Couthouy’s Reply to Mr. Dana. 
that these latter were perused by or read to me at Oahu in 1840. 
He must prove beyond a question, that I then and there, from 
that source and no other, derived as he affirms, the views set forth 
by me in the article to which your note alludes. I have no in- 
tention however of resting satisfied with this alone. In answer 
then, to the accusation of Mr. Dana, I solemnly declare on my 
faith and honor as a man, that it is utterly and unqualifiedly des- 
titute of the slightest foundation in truth, with the exception of 
the mere fact of his having laid open his MSS. for my perusal, 
in relation to which I cannot speak positively. At the next 
meeting of the Association, and in the presence, I trust, of every 
one who heard the remarks of Mr. Dana, this denial shall be sub- 
stantiated by the most unequivocal testimony, personally should I 
live, and should I not, the proof shall be entrusted to others who 
will vindicate my memory. I will simply state at present, that 
so far from my having derived the opinions in question, as Mr. 
D. alleges, from his MSS. at the Sandwich Islands in 1840, they 
had at that period been several months in the possession of my 
friends in the United States, having been communicated from 
Sydney, New South Wales, in December, 1839, in substantially 
the same form as to facts, so far as the influence of temperature 
on corals is concerned, as that of their publication in January, 
1842. At the time this was done, I was confined to my room by 
severe illness, the result of exposure, from which the physicians 
had pronounced recovery more than doubtful. 'The squadron 
was about sailing on a cruise whence it might never return. In 
the event of an unfavorable termination to either, my manuscripts 
might be lost, and with them whatever of new or important they 
contained, either of facts or suggestions. ‘To guard against this 
contingency, I transmitted, by sure hand, to some friends in Bos- 
ton, duplicate minutes of the most important of my observations 
from the time of our leaving the United States, to our arrival at 
Upolu in the Samoan group. These minutes were accompanied 
by a rigid injunction to allow no portion of them to be made pub- 
lic or to be perused, excepting by a few intimate friends of those 
to whom they were addressed, which injunction I may here add 
was faithfully observed. Events have proved that I acted wise- 
ly in adopting this course, since when at the trial by court mar- 
tial of Lieut. Wilkes, a year ago, my journals and notes (deposited 
with him on my separation from the squadron at Oahu in 1840) 
