[ 45 8 ] 
marine produ&ions, as was our author’s opinion. 
That however you confider ’d coral and lithophytons, 
it did not appear poffible, that they were the con- 
ftrudlions of the infedts inhabiting therein : That the 
only fyftem to be adopted upon thefe matters, was, 
what he mention’d to our author heretofore ; and 
that is, that the bark of thefe bodies only is a plant 
properly fpeaking j and that this depofits a ftony 
matter, which forms the ftalk neceffary to fuftain it. 
That then, in his opinion, all the difficulties vaniffi 
with regard to the organization of coral. 
In the year 172 6, M. de Peyffionnel was appointed 
phyfician-botanift to the iiland of Guadeloupe, where 
he has continued his obfervations, which have more 
and more convinc’d him of the truth of his fyftem. 
He takes notice, that the leprofy, a diforder elfe- 
where almoft unknown, is frequent in this ifland : 
Our author muft mean here the elephant iajis - , or le- 
profy of the Greeks j as that of the Arabians is too 
frequent every- where. 
M. de Peyffionnel acquaints us, he has fince 
found, that M. Bernard dejuffieu andM.de Reau- 
mur were themfelves convinc’d of the truth of his 
obfervations. in the expeditions they have made, one 
to the fea-coafts near Rochelle, and the other in 
Normandy. 
In the courfe of this work our author mentions, 
that, beftdes the animals to which coral owes its 
formation, there are three kinds, which he defcribes 
at large, which pierce and corrode the coral while 
in the fea, without preventing its increafe. 
Contrary to what has been generally received, and 
to what even the Count de Marfigli afferts, coral 
grows 
