﻿A. 
  Agassis 
  — 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  ATbatrossP 
  43 
  

  

  others 
  in 
  Fiji. 
  Like 
  them, 
  Makatea 
  is 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  narrow 
  shore 
  platform 
  cut 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  

   limestone 
  cliffs 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  seaward 
  extension 
  of 
  which 
  corals 
  

   grow 
  abundantly 
  to 
  depths 
  of 
  7 
  to 
  8 
  fathoms, 
  when 
  they 
  appear 
  

   to 
  become 
  very 
  much 
  less 
  numerous. 
  So 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  un- 
  

   natural 
  to 
  look 
  upon 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  Paumotus, 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  

   to 
  do, 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  elevation, 
  the 
  raised 
  and 
  elevated 
  land 
  of 
  which 
  

   has 
  been 
  affected 
  much 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  by 
  denudation 
  and 
  by 
  

   erosion, 
  as 
  have 
  the 
  masses 
  of 
  elevated 
  coralliferous 
  limestone 
  

   of 
  Fiji. 
  Only, 
  there 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been, 
  from 
  the 
  evidence 
  

   thus 
  far 
  presented 
  a 
  far 
  greater 
  uniformity 
  in 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  

   the 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  Paumotus. 
  This 
  would 
  render 
  the 
  explana- 
  

   tion 
  I 
  have 
  given 
  less 
  evident 
  had 
  I 
  not 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  

   the 
  Fiji 
  group 
  to 
  guide 
  me. 
  I 
  am 
  informed 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  

   other 
  islands 
  and 
  atolls 
  in 
  the 
  Paumotu 
  group 
  showing 
  traces 
  

   of 
  this 
  elevation, 
  so 
  that 
  I 
  am 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  justified 
  in 
  denying 
  

   that 
  the 
  Paumotus 
  as 
  such 
  are 
  situated 
  in 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  subsi- 
  

   dence, 
  and 
  that 
  subsidence 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  great 
  factor, 
  as 
  is 
  

   maintained 
  by 
  Darwin 
  and 
  Dana, 
  in 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  char- 
  

   acteristic 
  atolls 
  of 
  the 
  group. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  well 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  also 
  that 
  the 
  Paumotus, 
  like 
  the 
  

   Marquesas 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  and 
  the 
  Society 
  Islands 
  on 
  the 
  other, 
  

   are 
  situated 
  upon 
  a 
  plateau 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  last 
  

   mentioned 
  groups 
  are 
  placed, 
  a 
  plateau 
  rising 
  from 
  a 
  gen- 
  

   eral 
  oceanic 
  basin 
  which 
  surrounds 
  them 
  and 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  depth 
  

   of 
  from 
  2300 
  to 
  2500 
  fathoms, 
  the 
  plateau 
  itself 
  having 
  a 
  

   depth 
  of 
  1200 
  to 
  1500 
  fathoms. 
  Furthermore, 
  evidence 
  of 
  

   this 
  elevation 
  is 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  two 
  extremities 
  of 
  the 
  Paumotu 
  

   Plateau, 
  at 
  Makatea, 
  an 
  elevated 
  island 
  consisting 
  of 
  Tertiary 
  

   coralliferous 
  limestone, 
  and 
  at 
  Gambier 
  Islands, 
  which 
  are 
  

   volcanic 
  islands 
  of 
  considerable 
  height. 
  

  

  