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
Proceeding westward along the great volcanic chain of the East Indian
Archipelago, _Solor Strait_ is represented in a chart published by
Dalrymple from a Dutch MS., as fringed; as are parts of _Flores_, of
_Adenara_, and of _Solor._ Horsburgh speaks of coral growing on these
shores; and therefore I have no doubt that the reefs are of coral, and
accordingly have coloured them red. We hear from Horsburgh (vol. ii, p.
602) that a coral-flat bounds the shores of _Sapy_ Bay. From the same
authority it appears (p. 610) that reefs fringe the island of _
Timor-Young_, on the N. shore of Sumbawa; and, likewise (p. 600),
that _Bally_ town in _Lombock_, is fronted by a reef, stretching along
the shore at a distance of a hundred fathoms, with channels through it
for boats; these places, therefore, have been coloured red.—_Bally_
Island. In a Dutch MS. chart on a large scale of Java, which was
brought from that island by Dr. Horsfield, who had the kindness to show
it me at the India House, its western, northern, and southern shores
appear very regularly fringed by a reef (see also Horsburgh, vol. ii,
p. 593); and as coral is found abundantly there, I have not the least
doubt that the reef is of coral, and therefore have coloured it red.
JAVA.—My information regarding the reefs of this great island is
derived from the chart just mentioned. The greater part of _Maduara_ is
represented in it as regularly fringed, and likewise portions of the
coast of Java immediately south of it. Dr. Horsfield informs me that
coral is very abundant near _Sourabaya._ The islets and parts of the N.
coast of Java, west of _Point Buang_, or _Japara_, are fringed by
reefs, said to be of coral. _Lubeck_, or _Bavian_ Islands, lying at
some distance from the shore of Java, are regularly fringed by
coral-reefs. _Carimon Java_ appears equally so, though it is not
directly said that the reefs are of coral; there is a depth between
thirty and forty fathoms round these islands. Parts of the shores of
_Sunda Strait_, where the water is from forty to eighty fathoms deep,
and the islets near _Batavia_ appear in several charts to be fringed.
In the Dutch chart the southern shore, in the narrowest part of the
island, is in two places fringed by reefs of coral. West of _
Segorrowodee_ Bay, and the extreme S.E. and E. portions are likewise
fringed by coral-reefs; all the above-mentioned places coloured red.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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