APPENDIX. 257 



Having now endeavoured to remove some sources of 

 doubt in classifying the reefs of the West Indies, I will give 

 my authorities for colouring such portions of the coast as I 

 have thought myself warranted in doing. Capt. Bird Allen 

 informs me, that most of the islands on the Bahama Banks 

 are fringed, especially on their windward sides, with living 

 reefs ; and hence I have coloured those, which are thus repre- 

 sented in Capt. Owen's late chart, red. The same officer 

 informs me, that the islands along the southern part of 

 Florida are similarly fringed; coloured red. — Cuba : Pro- 

 ceeding along the northern coast, at the distance of forty miles 

 from the extreme S.E. point, the shores are fringed by reefs, 

 which extend westward for a space of 160 miles, with only 

 a few breaks. Parts of these reefs are represented in the 

 plans of the harbours on this coast by Capt. Owen ; and 

 an excellent description is given of them by Mr. Taylor 

 (Loudon's Mag. of Nat. Hist., vol. ix. p. 449) ; he states 

 that they enclosed a space called the " baxo" from half to 

 three-quarters of a mile in width, with a sandy bottom, and 

 a little coral. In most parts people can wade, at low water, 

 to the reef; but in some parts the depth is between two and 

 three fathoms. Close outside the reef, the depth is between 

 six and seven fathoms; these well-characterised fringing- 

 reefs are coloured red. — Westward of long. 77 30', on the 

 northern side of Cuba, a great bank commences, which 

 extends along the coast for nearly four degrees of longitude. 

 In the place of its commencement, in its structure, and in 

 the " cays" or low islands on its edge, there is a marked 

 correspondence (as observed by Humboldt, Pers. Nar., 

 vol. vii. p. 88) between it and the Great Bahama and 

 Sal Banks, which lie directly in front. Hence one is 

 led to attribute the same origin to both these sets of 

 banks ; namely, the accumulation of sediment, conjoined 



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