Beagle Expedition (1831-1836); Coral reefs and islands; Geology -- South America; Islands; Volcanoes
NEW HEBRIDES.—Any chart, on even a small scale, of these islands, will
show that their shores are almost without reefs, presenting a
remarkable contrast with those of New Caledonia on the one hand, and
the Fidji group on the other. Nevertheless, I have been assured by Mr.
G. Bennett, that coral grows vigorously on their shores; as indeed,
will be further shown in some of the following notices. As, therefore,
these islands are not encircled, and as coral grows vigorously on their
shores, we might almost conclude, without further evidence, that they
were fringed, and hence I have applied the red colour with rather
greater freedom than in other instances.—_Matthew’s Rock_, an active
volcano, some way south of the group (of which a plan is given in the
“Atlas of the ‘Astrolabe’s’ Voyage”) does not appear to have reefs of
any kind about it.—_Annatom_, the southernmost of the Hebrides; from a
rough woodcut given in the “United Service Journal” (1831, part iii.,
page 190), accompanying a paper by Mr. Bennett, it appears that the
shore is fringed; coloured red.—_Tanna_. Forster, in his “Observations”
(page 22), says Tanna has on its shores coral-rock and madrepores; and
the younger Forster, in his account (volume ii., page 269) speaking of
the harbour says, the whole S.E. side consists of coral-reefs, which
are overflowed at high-water; part of the southern shore in Cook’s
chart is represented as fringed; coloured red.—_Immer_ is described
(“United Service Journal,” 1831, part iii., page 192) by Mr. Bennett as
being of moderate elevation, with cliffs appearing like sandstone:
coral grows in patches on its shore, but I have not coloured it; and I
mention these facts, because Immer might have been thought from
Forster’s classification (“Observations,” page 14), to have been a low
island or even an atoll.— _Erromango_ Island; Cook (“Second Voyage,”
volume ii., page 45, 4to edition) speaks of rocks everywhere _lining_
the coast, and the natives offered to haul his boat over the breakers
to the sandy beach: Mr. Bennett, in a letter to the Editor of the
“Singapore Chron.,” alludes to the _reefs_ on its shores. It may, I
think, be safely inferred from these passages that the shore is fringed
in parts by coral-reefs; coloured red.—_Sandwich_ Island. The east
coast is said (Cook’s “Second Voyage,” volume ii., page 41) to be low,
and to be guarded by a chain of breakers. In the accompanying chart it
is seen to be fringed by a reef; coloured red.—_Mallicollo_; Forster
speaks of the reef-bounded shore: the reef is about thirty yards wide,
and so shallow that a boat cannot pass over it. Forster also
(“Observations,” page 23) says, that the rocks of the sea-shore consist
of madrepore. In the plan of Sandwich harbour, the headlands are
represented as fringed; coloured red.—_Aurora_ and _Pentecost_ Islands,
according to Bougainville, apparently have no reefs; nor has the large
island of _S. Espiritu_, nor _Bligh_ Island or _Banks’_ Islands, which
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