April, 1836. 



VEGETATION. 



541 



very oppressive ; and on the outer coast, a solid broad flat of 

 coral rock, which serves to break the violence of the open 

 sea. Excepting near the lagoon where there is some sand, the 

 land is entirely composed of rounded fragments of coral. In 

 such a loose, dry, stony soil, the climate of the intertropical 

 regions alone could produce a vigorous vegetation. On 

 some of the smaller islets, nothing could be more elegant, 

 than the manner in which the young and full-grown cocoa- 

 nut trees, without destroying each other^s symmetry, were 

 mingled into one wood. A beach of glittering white sand 

 formed a border to these fairy spots. 



I will now give a sketch of the natural history of these 

 islands, which, from its very paucity, possesses a peculiar 

 interest. The cocoa-nut tree, at the first glance, seems to 

 compose the whole wood; there are, however, five or six 

 other kinds. One of these grows to a very large size^ but, 

 from the extreme softness of its wood, is useless ; another 

 sort affords excellent timber for ship -building. Besides 

 the trees, the number of plants is exceedingly limited, and 

 consists of insignificant weeds. In my collection, which 

 includes, I believe, nearly the perfect Flora, there are 

 twenty species, without reckoning a moss, lichen, and 

 fungus. To this number two trees must be added ; one of 

 which was not in flower, and the other I only heard of. 

 The latter is a solitary tree of its kind in the whole group, 

 and grows near the beach, where, without doubt, the one 

 seed was thrown up by the waves. I do not include in the 

 above list, the sugar-cane, banana, some other vegetables, 

 fruit-trees, and imported grasses. As these islands consist 

 entirely of coral, and at one time probably existed as a 

 mere water-washed reef, all the productions now living 

 here, must have been transported by the waves of the sea. 

 In accordance to this, the Flora has quite the character of a 

 refuge for the destitute : Professor Henslow informs me, that 

 of the twenty species, nineteen belong to difi'erent genera, 

 and these again to no less than sixteen orders ! 



