﻿370 
  A. 
  Agassis 
  — 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Albatross 
  ■." 
  

  

  able 
  to 
  observe 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  underlying 
  base 
  which 
  

   forms 
  the 
  foundations 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  areas 
  of 
  these 
  groups. 
  In 
  

   this 
  respect 
  these 
  groups 
  are 
  in 
  striking 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  Pau- 
  

   motus, 
  the 
  Society 
  Islands, 
  the 
  Cook 
  Group, 
  Niue, 
  the 
  Tongas, 
  

   and 
  the 
  Fiji 
  Islands, 
  where 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  underlying 
  

   foundations 
  of 
  the 
  land-rims 
  is 
  readily 
  ascertained. 
  But, 
  on 
  

   the 
  other 
  hand, 
  these 
  groups 
  give 
  us 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  studying 
  

   the 
  mode 
  of 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  land-rims 
  in 
  a 
  most 
  satisfactory 
  

   manner, 
  and 
  nowhere 
  have 
  we 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  study 
  as 
  clearly 
  the 
  

   results 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  agencies 
  at 
  work 
  in 
  shaping 
  the 
  endless 
  

   variations 
  produced 
  in 
  the 
  islands 
  and 
  islets 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  

   atolls 
  by 
  the 
  incessant 
  handling 
  and 
  rehandling 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  

   in 
  place, 
  or 
  of 
  the 
  fresh 
  material 
  added 
  from 
  the 
  disintegration 
  

   of 
  the 
  sea 
  or 
  lagoon 
  faces 
  of 
  the 
  outer 
  land, 
  or 
  of 
  the 
  corals 
  on 
  

   the 
  outer 
  and 
  inner 
  slopes. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  interesting 
  to 
  

   trace 
  the 
  ever-varying 
  conditions 
  which 
  have 
  resulted 
  in 
  pro- 
  

   ducing 
  so 
  many 
  variations 
  in 
  the 
  appearance 
  and 
  structure 
  of 
  

   the 
  islands 
  and 
  islets 
  of 
  the 
  land-rims 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  groups. 
  

  

  The 
  boring 
  at 
  Funafuti 
  will 
  show 
  us 
  the 
  character 
  and 
  age 
  

   of 
  the 
  rocks 
  underlying 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  recent 
  material 
  of 
  which 
  

   the 
  land-rim, 
  not 
  only 
  of 
  that 
  atoll, 
  but 
  probably 
  also 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  other 
  atolls 
  of 
  the 
  group 
  and 
  of 
  neighboring 
  groups, 
  is 
  

   composed, 
  though 
  of 
  course 
  we 
  can 
  only 
  judge 
  by 
  analogy 
  of 
  

   the 
  probability 
  of 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  underlying 
  base 
  from 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  nearest 
  islands 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  ascertained. 
  

   When 
  we 
  come 
  to 
  a 
  group 
  like 
  the 
  Marshails 
  we 
  have 
  as 
  our 
  

   guide 
  only 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  base 
  rock 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  

   Carolines, 
  which 
  is 
  volcanic, 
  while 
  Naru 
  and 
  Ocean 
  Islands, 
  to 
  

   the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Gilberts 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  southwest 
  of 
  the 
  Marshails, 
  

   indicate 
  a 
  base 
  of 
  ancient 
  Tertiary 
  limestone. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  continued 
  stormy 
  weather 
  and 
  the 
  probability 
  

   of 
  not 
  being 
  able 
  to 
  land 
  at 
  these 
  islands 
  while 
  the 
  unfavorable 
  

   conditions 
  lasted, 
  we 
  did 
  not 
  attempt 
  to 
  visit 
  them. 
  

  

  After 
  leaving 
  Suva 
  we 
  made 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  soundings 
  from 
  

   south 
  of 
  Nurakita 
  toward 
  the 
  Marshall 
  Group, 
  which, 
  in 
  addi- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Penguin,' 
  clearly 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  Ellice 
  

   Islands 
  are 
  isolated 
  peaks 
  rising 
  from 
  considerable 
  depths 
  

   (from 
  1500 
  to 
  over 
  2000 
  fathoms) 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  same 
  is 
  the 
  

   case 
  with 
  the 
  Gilbert 
  Islands. 
  We 
  made 
  about 
  thirty 
  sound- 
  

   ings 
  between 
  the 
  atolls 
  of 
  the 
  Marshails, 
  which 
  appear 
  to 
  show 
  

   that 
  they 
  also 
  rise 
  as 
  independent 
  peaks 
  or 
  ridges, 
  with 
  steep 
  

   slopes, 
  from 
  2000 
  to 
  2500 
  fathoms, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  so-called 
  

   parallel 
  chains 
  of 
  atolls 
  of 
  the 
  Marshails, 
  the 
  Ealick 
  and 
  

   Ratack, 
  are 
  really 
  only 
  the 
  summits 
  of 
  isolated 
  peaks 
  rising 
  

   but 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea-level. 
  The 
  Marshall 
  Islands, 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  the 
  Ellice 
  and 
  Gilbert, 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  somewhat 
  higher 
  

   than 
  the 
  Paumotus, 
  but 
  this 
  difference 
  is 
  only 
  apparent 
  and 
  is 
  

  

  