286 THE OCEAN. 
The islands of the third class differ greatly in 
appearance and structure from those of either of 
the preceding. Abundant traces of their volcanic 
origin show that they have been elevated from the 
bed of the Ocean by the resistless energy of fire, 
which has given a bold and irregular form to their 
rocky mountains that greatly increases the romantic 
Voxtcanic IsLanps. 
beauty of their scenery. Every visitor to the South 
Seas has spoken in eulogy of these lovely islands. 
The highly-wrought descriptions given in Cook’s 
voyages are declared by recent writers to be no 
whit beyond the reality. Instead of the long, low 
coral island, with its grove of cocoa-nut trees almost 
