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FORMA- the middle, which is full of the iinefl fiili ; and fometimes there is 



an opening, admitting a boat or cance in the reef, but I never law 



or heard of an opening that would admit a ihip. 



The reef, or the firil origin of thefe ifl.es, is formed by the ani- 

 malcules inhabiting the lithophytes. They raife their habitation 

 within a little of -the furface of the Scdij which gradually throws 



fhells, weeds, fand, fmall bits of corals, and other things on th 



e 



tops of thefe coral rocks, and at lafl fairly raifes them above water ; 

 where the above things continue to 'be accumulated by the fea, till 



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by a bird, or by the fea, a few .feeds of plants, that commonly grow 



on the fea-lhore, are 



annual decay 



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thrown up, and begin to vegetate ; and by 

 nd re-produd;ion from feeds, create a little 



mould, yearly accumulated by the mixture with fand, increafing 

 the dry fpot on every fide j till another fei happens to carry a coco- 

 nut hither, which preferves its vegetative power a long time in the 

 fea, and therefore will foon begin to grow on this foil, efpecially as 



r 



it thrives equally in all kinds of foil -, and thus may all thefe low iiles 

 have become covered with the fineft coco-nut trees. 



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The animalcules forming thefe reefs, want to fhelter their habita- 

 tion from the impetuofity of the winds, and the power and rage of 

 the ocean ; but as, within the tropics, the winds blow commonly 



f 



from one quarter, they, by inllind:, endeavour to llretch only a 



w 



ledge, within which is a lagoon, which is certainly entirely fcreen- 



ed 



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