CHAPTER XII 



CORAL REEFS 



Agassiz broke the winter of 1891-92 by a visit to 

 Japan, with his second son Maximilian. Apart from his 

 pleasure in collecting old bronzes and porcelains, he was 

 especially interested in a visit to a copper mine, and a 

 trip to Bandai San. Taking a small steamer through 

 the Inland Sea they reached Niihama on the Island of 

 Shikoku, the site of the smelting works of the mine. 

 Here they spent three days in the owner's house. Writ- 

 ing from there Agassiz says : — 



" It is such a pretty place, and such beautiful things 

 as the Manager showed us stowed away in a 'godown' 

 as they call their warehouse. There were some lacquers 

 and bronzes and Chinese and Japanese vases to make 

 one green with envy, but Souvinisto Nuo, the owner of 

 the mine, is one of the richest men in Japan. The mine 

 has been in his family for two hundred years ! ! The smelt- 

 ing works are very well arranged, as are their stamp mills 

 and the mine and everything is very well done. We left 

 to go to the mine early in a drenching rain in rikishas 



" Finally we reached the tunnel of the mine, which 

 is four thousand feet above the level of the sea. The 

 tunnel goes through the mountain and comes out the 

 other side where the village, making up the mine, is 

 placed in a narrow gorge of the mountain, the houses 

 arranged in terraces, one above the other, and glad 



