ON CORAL REEFS AS A CAUSE OF FEVER. 428 
which in Valentyn's time, near two hundred years ago, dealt 
its fatal bolts amongst the adventurous sons of commerce, and 
which in the nineteenth century has not worn itself out. 
The surface of the island has changed, marshes that did 
exist to a limited extent have been drained, trees have been 
cut down, rank vegetation extirpated and, as in Onrust, a per¬ 
fect garden with pleasure walks formed, but all to no avail, 
the Demon disease still holds its sway, and in spite of the God¬ 
like effects of man for his extirpation, demands his tribute 
of human life. 
No efforts of man can remove this endemic without great 
expence and endless labour; it will exist, tut its effects may 
in some measure be modified by a proper arrangement of 
houses and living. Humbling as the thought is to proud man, 
with all his science he cannot stay the progress of that small 
polyp, that silently, slowly and surely adds dwelling to dwelling, 
encroaching on the shore, and filling the depths of the ocean, 
yet nature and only she lias set bounds to its spread, by con¬ 
demning it to the penalty of deatli whenever it rears its struc¬ 
ture above the sea ; and to prevent the land from being too 
closely bound so as to prevent all access to it, we have the 
rivers, the natural entrances to the land, kept clean by the 
effects of the fresh water which destroys the polyp and creates 
for itself channels through all the fringing reefs. 
Can nothing then be done for these fair islands so pleasant 
to look upon, so convenient, to man ?—no, nothing can be done 
to ameliorate their condition, for in opposition to all our arts 
and sciences the coral will grow and near the surface, and 
when exposed will die and putrify, and corrupt, the air; a 
design in itself so beneficent that although the effect is fatal 
to intruding man, yet that is so insignificant when compared 
with the utility of the great object in view that all that re¬ 
mains for him, is to avoid such spots—and let HIS WILL BE 
DONE. 
If we cannot remedy the evil, without cutting and remo¬ 
ving all exposed living coral, a never ending labour attended 
•with great expence, the other alternative is not to expose 
ourselves to its influence. It would therefore be well in the 
Dutch Government before erecting a Dock on the Island of 
Middleburgh, which I understand they intend doing, to see 
whether there are not exposed fri* ging coral reels, and 
whether the extremity of the reef of Ontong Java, if exposed, 
does not affect the island, for where such exposed reefs are, 
there must be endemic fever. 
Without a personal examination of the islands it would be 
presumption on my part to point out what islands are more 
