The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-05-01

American missionary there resident, a collection
made by him with great pains and at considerable
expense, of valuable Malay and Bugis manuscripts,
relating to the history, mythology, laws, and Gus
toms Of the East India islands Since the loss OF the
splendid collection of Sir Stamford Rallies, which
was burned along with the vessel in which 1t had
been shipped for England, this is believed to be
the best in existence. It's likely to be OF great ser
vice hereafter not less to the historian than The PHI
lologist.
.s0f the six hundred new species Of crusiacea,
about two hundred are oceanic species, OF many OF
which even the genera or families unknown.
The ocean swarms with minute crustacea, and il is
seldom that a hand-net is thrown in good weather
without bringing up some novelty. In some seas
they are SO numerous to color the red,
many square miles of surface, was observed of
the South American coast near Valparaiso. These
are the red bloody waters that have been descri-
bed. When thus numerous, these animals are often
called whales feed and il is believed that they are
actually the food of the right whale Each animal
is not over l-l2th Of an inch long, yet they swarm
in such numbers to afford subsistence to these
monsters of the deep. The fbreus network Of
whalebone, in the roof of the whales mouth Is htted
to strain out these animals from the water which
passes through and is elected by the spout-holes
Many minute dissections have been made Of these
and other crustacea, and some interesting physioo-
gical facts brought to light. As the species often are
transparent nearly all the processes of life even to
the motion of every muscle and every particle that
floats in the blood, are open to view.
"On one ofthe high ridges Tahiti, (Sociey group,
about six thousand feet above the sea, the summit
edge is SO sharp, and the sides of the mountain so
very vertical that the adventurous traveller may SIT
astrde Of it, and look down precipice OF a thous-
and feet on either side. In no other way except by
thus balancing and pushing himself along, is il pos
sible for about thirty feet to advance towards the
summit before him--yet thousand feet higher-for
the bushes which are growing on the crest else
where, and serve baustrade, are here wanting
"The Sandwich Islands contain basaltic rocks OF
all ages from the most recent volcanic to the most
ancient in the Pacific, besides coral rocks and ee-
waited rees and they full of interest, both as re-
CARDS the structure and formation OF igneous and
limestone rocks, and geological dynamics. The
lofty precipces and examples Of shattered mountains
before the eye are astounding to those who see only
the little sleeps, of few hundred feet at most, in
the surface OF our own country. There is evidence
that the island of Oahu is the shattered remnant of
two lofty volcanic mountains. A precipce on this
island, upwards of twenty miles long, and from ore
to three thousand feet high, is apparently section
of one of those volcanic mountains or domes, along
which it was rent in two when the greater part was
tumbled off and submerged in the ocean.
"Oahu is fringed in part with coral reef, twenty
five feet out of water, and similar proofs of still
greater elevation are met with on the other islands !"
''New Holland afforded the expedition collection
of coal plants from the coal region; the coal is btu
menous and the beds are extensive. Large collec-
tons obtained Of fossil shells and coras about
one hundred and eighty species in all, from the
sandstone next below the coal. The geology of the
coal region and of the everything sandstone, and the
fossferous sandstone below together with the trap
dykes and BEDS will prove highly interesting These
are the only rocks observed"