212 Br. Rink on the 



through the jungle into the interior of the islands by the help of 

 rivulets, which, as annual streams, hollow out the ground to the 

 depth of twelve feet, and leave their beds dry when the periodical 

 rains have subsided. Here I found the conglomerate of large pieces 

 of corals at the height of more than twenty feet above the highest 

 stand of the sea; but still I did not consider this as sufficient to 

 prove the rising of the land, until I found the most doubtless traces 

 of the same thing on the coast of the Island Bampuka. On the 

 south-west side of this, there is a steep cliff of coral limestone, A B, 

 (Fig. 3, Pi. IV,) close to the sea, raised to the height of forty to fifty 

 feet, and resting on the Plutonic rock, fragments of which are con- 

 tained in the lower parts of the calcareous rock. The coral formation 

 here took its rise when the water touched the point C, and proceeded 

 outward during the rising of the land, until it met with some 

 hindrance near B, probably a sudden steepness of the Plutonic rock, 

 giving no support to the building of the corals. This fact might be 

 of some importance as a confirmation of the theory of Darwin, who 

 considers the fringing reefs as characteristic of those tracts of land 

 which contain active volcanoes, (as Barren island,) and which are in a 

 state of progressive elevation. 



These few remarks, My dear Sir, I hope will give you some idea 

 of what I have seen on the Nicobar Islands, the geological study 

 of which, afforded me occupation as well as amusement during my 

 stay on this wild and solitary place. In case Capt. Lewis should go 

 directly to Calcutta, I will send with him a small case with speci- 

 mens of the rocks surrounding this harbour. A more complete col- 

 lection of all those kinds of rocks which constitute the Nicobar 

 Islands, I am arranging for you at the Little Nicobars, where I have 

 established my museum and chemical laboratory in a hut. This I 

 will have the honour of sending you from Penang, together with 

 a more circumstantial description. But still I should be very glad, 

 if you would honour some of the above observations with a corner in 

 your Journal ; and lastly, I desire you not to forget that this letter is 

 written by a foreigner, who hitherto had only very little opportunity 

 of practising English correspondence. I remain, &c. 



Nangkoory Harbour, \3th May, 1846. II . Rink. 



