Sect. III. MALDIVA ATOLLS. 51 



first glance one is led to suspect that they have 

 originated in the disseverment of a single one. Male 

 consists of three perfectly characterised atolls, of which 

 the shape and relative position are such, that a line 

 drawn closely round all three gives a symmetrical 

 figure ; but to see this, a larger ehart is required than 

 .that of the Archipelago in Plate II. The channel 

 separating the two northern Male atolls is only little 

 more than a mile wide, and no bottom was found in it 

 with 100 fathoms. Powell's Island is situated at the 

 distance of two miles and a-half off the northern end 

 of another atoll, namely Mahlos Mahdoo (fig. 4), at 

 the exact point where the two sides of the latter, 

 if prolonged, would meet : no bottom, however, 

 was found in the channel with 200 fathoms : in the 

 wider channel between Horsburgh atoll and the southern 

 end of Mahlos Mahdoo, no bottom was found with 

 250 fathoms. In these cases, the relation consists 

 only in the form and position of the atolls. But 

 in the channel between the two Nillandoo atolls, 

 although three miles and a-quarter wide, soundings 

 were struck at the depth of 200 fathoms : the channel 

 between Eoss and Ari atolls is four miles wide, and., only 

 150 fathoms deep. Here then we have a submarine 

 connection, besides a relation in position and form. The 

 fact of soundings having been obtained between two 

 separate and perfectly characterized atolls is in itself 

 interesting, as it has never, I believe, been effected in 

 any of the many other groups of atolls in the Pacific 

 and Indian seas. In continuing to trace the con- 



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