6 THE GEOLOGY OF BERMUDA. 
of Darwin* and Dana;+ but their treatment of the subject is less satis- 
factory than it would have been if these masters of the theory of coral 
formations had had the opportunity of visiting the islands. My own 
observations were made during a sojourn of a few weeks in the win- 
ter of 187677. Itis a pleasure to me in this connection to acknowledge 
my obligations to Prof. G. Brown Goode, of the Smithsonian Institution, 
J. Matthew Jones, F. L. S., Maj. Gen. Sir J. H. Lefroy, Governor of 
Bermuda at the time of my visit, Mr. James Carruthers, of Her Majes- 
ty’s Dock-yard, and Mr. C. M. Allen, United States Consul, for calling 
my attention to interesting and instructive localities; and especially to 
- Prof. James D. Dana for most important suggestions in regard to the 
problems presented by the islands, communicated in a conversation just 
before my visit. 
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF BERMUDA. 
The reefs and islands comprised under the name of Bermuda are 
nearly included between the parallels of 32° 10’ and 32° 20’ N., and be- 
tween the meridians of 64° 40/ and 65° W. from Greenwich. The line 
of the outer reef incloses an approximately elliptical area, whose major 
and minor axes are respectively about twenty-five and about twelve 
miles in length. The major axis trends about N. 50° E. Only a very 
small part of the elliptical area thus described is dry land. The dry 
land is almost confined to the south-easterly side of the ellipse, forming 
a narrow and broken strip about fifteen miles in length, and nowhere 
more than three miles in width. The areas of the principal islands are 
as follows: 
Acres 
The ‘Main Esler oes hs ee 9, 725 
Su Georges island aa ena as Yo ey Sears ee Se at Se 706 
Somerset; [glam dh nee Wu yt Wee ee a Oe ela 702. 
David's: Psland'..2 oo S222 2 ees a eee rea aH 
Freeland Usa yee A ey a ee eee gees Sol cl Gh Aaa nee 133 
The whole area of dry land in the archipelago is estimated at 12,378 
acres. 
About three quarters of the whole area of dry land is included in the 
Main Island, or Bermuda proper. The line of the Main Island is con- 
* The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs. By Charles Darwin. Second edi- 
tion. London, 1874. Appendix, pp. 264, 265. 
+Corals and Coral Islands. By James D. Dana. New York, 1¢79. pp. 218-221, 
361, 370, 391, 393-395. 
{The Bermuda Pocket Almanack. Bermuda, 1877. pp. 60, 61. 
