Coral Reefs; Volcanic Islands; South American Geology — CompleteDarwin, Charles
Science
Coral Reefs; Volcanic Islands; South American Geology — Complete
Darwin, Charles
Beagle Expedition (1831-1836); Coral reefs and islands; Geology -- South America; Islands; Volcanoes
COOK or HARVEY and AUSTRAL ISLAND.—_Palmerston_ Island is minutely
described as an atoll by Captain Cook during his voyage in 1774;
coloured blue. _Aitutaki_ was partially surveyed by the _ Beagle_ (see
map accompanying “Voyages of _Adventure_ and _Beagle_”); the land is
hilly, sloping gently to the beach; the highest point is 360 feet; on
the southern side the reef projects five miles from the land: off this
point the _Beagle_ found no bottom with 270 fathoms: the reef is
surmounted by many low coral-islets. Although within the reef the water
is exceedingly shallow, not being more than a few feet deep, as I am
informed by the Rev. J. Williams, nevertheless, from the great
extension of this reef into a profoundly deep ocean, this island
probably belongs, on the principle lately adverted to, to the barrier
class, and I have coloured it pale blue; although with much
hesitation.—_Manouai_ or _Harvey_ Island. The highest point is about
fifty feet: the Rev. J. Williams informs me that the reef here,
although it lies far from the shore, is less distant than at Aitutaki,
but the water within the reef is rather deeper: I have also coloured
this pale blue with many doubts.—Round _Mitiaro_ Island, as I am
informed by Mr. Williams, the reef is attached to the shore; coloured
red.—_Mauki_ or Maouti; the reef round this island (under the name of
Parry Island, in the “Voyage of H.M.S. _ Blonde_,” p. 209) is described
as a coral-flat, only fifty yards wide, and two feet under water. This
statement has been corroborated by Mr. Williams, who calls the reef
attached; coloured red.—_Aitu_, or Wateeo; a moderately elevated hilly
island, like the others of this group. The reef is described in Cook’s
“Voyage,” as attached to the shore, and about one hundred yards wide;
coloured red.—_Fenoua-iti_; Cook describes this island as very low, not
more than six or seven feet high (vol. i, book ii, chap. iii, 1777); in
the chart published in the “_Coquille’s_ Atlas,” a reef is engraved
close to the shore: this island is not mentioned in the list given by
Mr. Williams (page 16) in the “Narrative of Missionary Enterprise;”
nature doubtful. As it is so near Atiu, it has been unavoidably
coloured red.—_Rarotonga_; Mr. Williams informs me that it is a lofty
basaltic island with an attached reef; coloured red.—There are three
islands, _Rourouti, Roxburgh_, and _Hull_, of which I have not been
able to obtain any account, and have left them uncoloured. Hull Island,
in the French chart, is written with small letters as being
low.—_Mangaia_; height about three hundred feet; “the surrounding reef
joins the shore” (Williams, “Narrative,” p. 18); coloured
red.—_Rimetara_; Mr. Williams informs me that the reef is rather close
to the shore; but, from information given me by Mr. Ellis, the reef
does not appear to be quite so closely attached to it as in the
foregoing cases: the island is about three hundred feet high (_Naut.
Mag._, 1839, p. 738); coloured red.—_Rurutu_; Mr.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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