﻿40 
  A. 
  Agassis 
  — 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  A 
  lbatross. 
  v 
  

  

  stone, 
  honeycombed, 
  pitted 
  and 
  eroded, 
  both 
  by 
  atmospheric 
  

   agencies, 
  and 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  waves, 
  in 
  its 
  lower 
  parts 
  both 
  

   on 
  the 
  lagoon 
  side 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  sea 
  face. 
  The 
  great 
  rollers 
  of 
  

   the 
  weather 
  side 
  broke 
  through 
  between 
  the 
  columnar 
  masses 
  

   of 
  the 
  ledge 
  into 
  the 
  lagoon, 
  and 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  eye 
  could 
  reach 
  

   there 
  extended 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  continuous 
  wall 
  (which 
  is 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  by 
  Dana 
  as 
  he 
  saw 
  it 
  sailing 
  by 
  in 
  the 
  Yincennes). 
  But 
  

   in 
  addition 
  to 
  this 
  we 
  found, 
  on 
  landing, 
  this 
  wall 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  sea 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  and 
  islets 
  which 
  dot 
  the 
  weather 
  side 
  for 
  

   the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  length 
  on 
  the 
  southwestern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   lagoon. 
  

  

  These 
  islands 
  and 
  islets 
  are 
  entirely 
  composed 
  of 
  coral 
  sand 
  

   and 
  coral 
  fragments, 
  formed 
  from 
  the 
  disintegration 
  of 
  the 
  

   extension 
  of 
  the 
  elevated 
  ledge 
  toward 
  the 
  inside 
  of 
  the 
  lagoon 
  

   to 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  1J 
  to 
  2 
  miles 
  ; 
  and 
  along 
  this 
  very 
  gradual 
  

   slope 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  forming 
  the 
  southern 
  edge 
  of 
  Rairoa, 
  corals 
  

   grow 
  profusely 
  down 
  to 
  6 
  or 
  7 
  fathoms 
  of 
  water, 
  when 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  runs 
  into 
  hard 
  coralline 
  bottom 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  found 
  

   on 
  all 
  the 
  soundings 
  taken 
  across 
  the 
  lagoon. 
  

  

  The 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  islands 
  is 
  about 
  1000 
  to 
  1200 
  feet 
  ; 
  

   the 
  smaller 
  islands 
  and 
  islets 
  are 
  less, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  form- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  reality 
  mere 
  sand 
  buttresses 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  

   limestone 
  ledge 
  which 
  flanks 
  them 
  all 
  on 
  the 
  sea 
  face 
  and 
  con- 
  

   nects 
  them 
  on 
  the 
  weather 
  side 
  as 
  if 
  by 
  a 
  great 
  wall, 
  more 
  or 
  

   less 
  broken, 
  and 
  shuts 
  off 
  the 
  communication 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  

   the 
  lagoon 
  with 
  the 
  sea 
  on 
  that 
  side. 
  

  

  The 
  passages 
  between 
  the 
  islands 
  and 
  islets 
  illustrate 
  well, 
  

   only 
  on 
  a 
  larger 
  scale, 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  cuts, 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   silted 
  up, 
  which 
  were 
  observed 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  

   lagoon. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  passages 
  are 
  dry 
  at 
  low-water, 
  others 
  

   are 
  partly 
  filled 
  by 
  tide 
  pools, 
  others 
  are 
  entirely 
  silted 
  up 
  by 
  

   lagoon 
  sand, 
  only 
  they 
  are 
  lower 
  than 
  the 
  sand-blown 
  land 
  of 
  

   the 
  islands 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  it. 
  

  

  Crossing 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  weather 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  land 
  of 
  

   Rairoa 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  passages 
  between 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  islands, 
  we 
  

   came 
  upon 
  the 
  limestone 
  ledge, 
  from 
  12 
  to 
  14 
  feet 
  high 
  and 
  

   about 
  40 
  to 
  50 
  feet 
  wide, 
  which 
  formed 
  the 
  sea 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  

   islands 
  and 
  islets, 
  and 
  extended 
  far 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  as 
  a 
  great 
  

   stone 
  wall 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  broken 
  into 
  distinct 
  parts. 
  We 
  found 
  

   this 
  ledge 
  to 
  consist 
  of 
  elevated 
  limestone 
  as 
  hard 
  as 
  calcite, 
  

   full 
  of 
  corals, 
  honeycombed 
  and 
  pitted, 
  and 
  worn 
  into 
  countless 
  

   spires 
  and 
  spurs, 
  and 
  needles 
  and 
  blocks 
  of 
  all 
  sizes 
  and 
  shapes, 
  

   separated 
  by 
  deep 
  crevasses 
  or 
  potholes 
  recalling 
  a 
  similar 
  scene 
  

   in 
  Ngele 
  Levu 
  on 
  the 
  windward 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  lagoon. 
  In 
  the 
  

   passages 
  the 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  ledge 
  which 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  eroded, 
  

   extended 
  as 
  wide 
  buttresses, 
  gradually 
  diminishing 
  in 
  height 
  

   till 
  they 
  formed 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  lagoon 
  flat 
  and 
  extended 
  out 
  

   below 
  the 
  recent 
  beach 
  rock 
  which 
  covered 
  it 
  in 
  short 
  stretches. 
  

  

  