18 8 
CORAL. 
of the olive-tree, entered into the coral, and quickly dis¬ 
appeared : and, upon being immediately after reflored 
to the water, they were foon perceived arranging them- 
lelves again in the fame beautiful efflorefcent form. This 
experiment was made on the prglifcra , a Species of Ma- 
drepora. But it was not until the more enlightened days 
of Sir Charles Linnaeus, that the cloud of error was com¬ 
pletely removed. In the invefligation of this obfcure 
department of natural hiftory, the illuftrious Swede was 
ably and judicioufly Supported by our countrymen Dr. 
Solander, and Mr. Ellis, as their admirable work on Co¬ 
rallines indifputdbly prove. And, in our prefent day, 
the joint labours of thefe admired authors have been 
collected by the indefatigable Dr. Gmelin of Gottingen, 
and arranged under tlie Linnaean claflification of the Zoo- 
phyta, in the order and denomination under which they 
are incorporated in this Encyclopaedia. 
Coral is now defined to be “ an animal growing in a 
plant-like form and Seems to be the connecting link 
which unites the animal and vegetable kingdoms. There 
are fifteen genera, producing great variety of colours, as 
red, white, black, green, yellow, purple, &c. In com¬ 
merce, however, we have as yet been only accuftomed 
to the three nrSt kinds. The red, which is called the 
true coral, is of a bright and beautiful Scarlet, brought 
chiefly fr-.uu the Eaft-Indian and Ethiopian leas; though 
iorae Species are found fulfil in molt parts of Europe. 
The-particulars of this fort are given under its generic 
name, Isis.—White Goral is delcribed under its title 
Madrecora; and black coral, under Gorgonia; to 
which we beg to refer the reader. 
Coral is frequently imitated by compofnions of the 
common teftacea, and fold in the fhops, coloured with 
dragon’s blood ; but by fhaking this fubftitute in water, 
the fraud is discovered : for tiie colouring matter will 
by this means Separate, and leave the teltacea of its na¬ 
tive white colour; whereas the true coral will continue 
red. But oil of anifeeds, Vlnte wax, milk, or juice of 
citrons, will extract tire red colour from coral. It was 
long Tuppofed that coral was Soft in the fea, and that it 
was hardened by the air, on taking it out of the water. 
Mr. Boyle was of this opinion; but Boccone examined 
coral in tire water, before it was taken from its native 
bed, and found it invariably hard, except its external 
covering of fungous matter, in which is a great number 
of cells, containing a milky liquor, which he fuppofed 
to be an 'exuviae of the animal. This cortical part is 
Separated eafily whilft frefh and loft. 
The oilier genera which rank as corals, efflorefeing 
like vegetables, and included in the order of Zoophytes, 
are deferibed under their proper heads; among which 
are Spongia, the fponge ; and Hydra, the true polypus ; 
though almoft all the coral infeCts are a kind of polype. 
See Zoophata. The mode in which thefe creatures 
multiply and expand, is extremely curious. Broken 
branches of coral have been obferved to fallen themfelves 
to other branches, and have continued to grow ; detached 
pieces have likewife been feed to fallen themfelves to 
rock or Hone, and immediately begin to throw out new 
branches; doubtlefs becaufe Such detached pieces abound 
with thefe minute infeCts, which appear to be continu¬ 
ally enlarging their habitations, by the formation of new 
cells. When the external Surface or bark of the coral is 
removed, there may be Seen an infinite quantity of little 
tubes connecting the bark with the inner fubltance, be¬ 
sides a great number of Small glands adhering to them ; 
and from t hefe tubes,and glands the milky juice of coral 
ihues. The holes in the bark are the openings through 
which the infeCts that form thefe fubltances for their ha¬ 
bitation come forth ; and thole cavi ies which are partly 
m the bark, and partly in the fubltance, are the cells 
which they inhabit. The organs of the animal are con¬ 
tained in the tubes, and the glandules are the extremi¬ 
ties of its feet, and the milky liquor is the blood and 
juice of the animal, which are more or Id’s abundant in 
proportion to its health and vigour. When the infefis 
are dead, they corrupt, and communicate to the water 
the Smell of putrid filh. This juice or liquor runs alon^ 
the furrows perceived upon the proper fubltance or body 
of coral, and Hopping by lictle and little becomes fixed 
and hard, and caufes the coral to increafe proportionably 
and in every direction. In forming coral, and other ma¬ 
rine productions of this clafs, the animal labours like 
thofe of the tefiaceous kind, each according to his fpe- 
cies; and their productions vary according to their Seve¬ 
ral forms, magnitudes, and colours. , But their multipli¬ 
cation is fo great, and their *vorks fo Hupeudous, that 
they build the ftru&ures in the ocean too deep to be 
meaSured by human art, which reach tq the Surface, and 
expand in Solid rocks of considerable extent! 
CO'RAL, f. The piece of coral which children have 
about their necks, imagined to aililt them in breeding 
teeth ; 
Her infant grandame’s coral next it grew ; 
The bells file gingled, and the whittle blew. Pope, 
CO'RAL and CORALLODEN'DRON./i in botany. 
See Erythrina, Piscidia, and Sochora. 
CO'R A.L-ITSH'ERY, a term given to the trade of 
fifningTor or procuring coral. This trade has been hi¬ 
therto chiefly confined to Genoa and Leghorn; and a 
coral company has been long eltablilhed at Marfeilles, 
The Indians and Negroes are very expert in diving for 
this article, and by that means break off and procure 
many large and valuable branches of red coral. But by 
li(hing> it is taken in greater quantity, particularly after 
the monloous, or any violent hurricanes, have broken or 
removed it from its native bed. The net is compofed 
of two rafters of wood tied croffwife, with leads fixed to 
'them : to thefe they fallen a quantity of hemp twified 
loolely round, and intermingled with large netting. This 
is let down where they think there is coral, and pulled 
up again when the coral is firongly entangled in the 
hemp and netting. For this purpofe, fix boats are Some¬ 
times required. 
CO'RAL-RI'VER, in New M«xico, runs a courfe 
wefi by South, and empties into the head of the gulf of 
California, near tire mouth of Collerado river. 
CO'RAL-ROCKS, an allemblage of rocks or iflands, 
chiefly found in the South Seas, which are Did to be 
wholly the production of coral infects. Of this kind are 
the Friendly I ties, and many ethers discovered by cap¬ 
tain Cook. Thefe appear to be of very ancient date ; 
but as fuch fubmarine works are continually going on, 
new iilands, or rocks of this calcareous matter, appeal 
to be always forming. Of this faft Alexander Dalrym- 
ple, efquire, has given evident proofs till then unre¬ 
corded in the annals of natural phiiofophy ; and John 
Macdonald, efquire, employed by the Dutch to furvey 
the ledges and rocks contiguous to the ifland of Sumatra, 
has not only confirmed the obfervations of Mr. Dal- 
rymple, but has adduced inconteHible evidence of the 
wonderful increafe of the works of thefe animals. The 
account given by Mr. Dalrymple, as publifhed in the 
Philofophical TranfaCtions for 1767, is briefly as follows : 
“ The origin of thefe iflands will eafily explain their 
nature. What led me firft to this deduction, was an ob¬ 
servation of Abdul Roobin, a Sooloo pilot, that all the 
iflands lying off the north-eaft coaft of Borneo had Shoals 
to the eaftward of them. Thefe iflands being covered 
to the weftward by Borneo, the winds from that quarter 
do not attack them with violence. But the north-eaft 
winds, tumbling in the billows from a wide ocean, heap 
up the coral with which thofe feas are filled. This, ob¬ 
vious after florins, is perhaps at ail other times imper¬ 
ceptibly effected. The coral banks, raifed in the fame 
manner, become dry. Thefe banks are found of all 
depths, at all diftances from (here, entirely unconnected 
with the land, and detached from each other; althougii 
it often happens that they are divided by a narrow gut 
without 
