The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-12-24

When TIE companions Of Neazclus, under Alex.
ander the Great rsached Ne mouth Of the Indus
ncthjRg excited their amazemen. In that wonderful
country 50 ma.h - The regular rise and fan OF all
the ocean-a phenomsDon winch they had never seen
at Rome, on the coasts OF Asia Minor and Greece.
Even their short stay there sundced, however, TO
show them the connec ion Of this astonisbng change
with the phases OF the moon For " sweet Is the
moonlight sleeps upon this bank, il is nevertheless
full Of silent power. Stronger even than the larger
eun because much nearer to the earth, IL raises
upon the boundless plains Of the Pacific wave only
few feet high, but extending down to the bot
tom Of the sea, and moves It onwArds, chained
as it we're 70 its own path, high in heaven.
Harmless and powerless this wave rolls
alorg the placid surface Of tAe OCEAN. But
ern Asia ON the other, and the low but immensely
broad tidal wave is preassd together and rises up
wards, racing rapidly round the sharp point Of
Africa. An hour after the moon has risen highest
at Greenwich, it reaches Fee And Morocco; two
hours later it passes through the Straits Of Gibraltar
and along the coast Of Portugal. The fourth hour
sees 1t rush with increased force into the Channel
and pass the western coast OF England. There the
rocky cffs of Ireland and the numerous islands of
tie Northern arrest it, rapid course 30 that it
reaches Norway only after an eight hours heaalong
race. AnOsher branch Of the same wave hnrfies
along the eastern coast Of America in almost furious
thence it paseeson to che north, where, hemmed in
gil sides it rises here and there to the enormous
height OF eighty feet Such is not rarely the case in
the Bay OF Furdy-a circumstance which shows us
tOrcby the vast superiority Of this silent, steady
movement that Of the ercest te pest. Even at
thar most stormy and most dreaded spot ON earth,
Cape Horn, all the violence Of raging tempesss can
not iaise the waves higher than some thirty feet,
nor does it ever disturb the habitual calm Of the
ocean deeper than few fath0ms, 30 that divers do
not hesitate 10 stay below, even when tins hnrri
RACES sbuve. Gentle In its appearance, though
grand in its effect, this mighty wave shows its trne
power only When 1t meets obstacles worthy Of snch
effort Where strong currents oppose its approach,
In the river DordOgDe, In France, races in con
temptuOns haste up the daring stream and reaches
there, for instance. in two minutes the height Of
lofty houses. Or Il rolls u mighty waters Of the
Amazon river mountain high up into the huge
dark mssses Of foaming cascades, aud then drives
them ste ady resistlessy upwards leaving the calm
Of m n or behind, and sending It's roar and its
ohuncer t r miles into the upland.
OF the coral formations, which are amongst the
most curious OF the myriad marvels Of the ocean,
we have the following beautiful description
Here, in the lonely, weary sea- 30 restless and I'M
easy, We End, moreover, that strangest Of all pro
ductops half veg, table and half animal. tee coral.
From the tree shaped Limestone springs forth the
sense endowed arm Of the polypus; It grows, it
into stone, burylDg itself In it's own rocky home,
over which new generations build At once new
rocky homes.
Thus it i that the msny-shsped, farbranched
upper world bear leaves and 6,vers, there
terminates hero, from out Of the stone,
living. sensitive animal, clad in the gay form
and bright colors Of flowers, and adorned with
animal polypus swakens in the stone for moment.
and Ike dream II csystallzes again into stone.
Yet what no tree ON earth, In all It's vgor and
beauty ever could do, that Is accomplished by these
tray Thouh rrsld La fri
castles, and bigh lofty steepes, resting upon tie
very bottom Of the ocean, rising stone upon stone,
and cemented like no other building on this globe.
oT tssy ere eS sc slee
call them. Their beauty Of form and color, their
marvellous economy their gigsnti. edifces, all had
early attra cted the attention Of the curious, and
given rise TO fantastic fables, and amusing errors.
For centuries the world believed that these bright
coloIed, delicate flowers, which, out Of their ee-
nent, appeared only humble, brown stones, were
real, fragile seaplants, which the conta,t with air
Enthusiastically turned into stone. Even the last
century adhered yet to this belief and only repsated
and energetic efforts succeeded in establishing their
claim to place in the animal kingdom. CHARLES
Darwin, at last, in the charming account he has
given us Of his voyaae set all errors aside, and
made Ms familiar nth this most wondrous Of all
creatures.
Now, we all know their a$ols and coral rings,
filing the VAIN seas OF the tropss with tbs green
CROWDS OF elender palm trees waving over them in
The breeze, and living securely in thsir midst.
For in vain has he himself triei to project his lands
against the fury Of the ocean; In vain has be Ia
bored anc pressed al the forces Of nature even
sllpowerfal steam into his service. Bas the mi
mute polypi work quietly and sileatly, with 'dss.
industry, in their neverceasing struggle with the
mighty. waves Of the sea. A Struggle il -, for,
strangely enough, they never build ~ turbid never
in stll waters; their home is amid the most VIC
lent breakers and living force, though go minute,
triumphs VIGOROUSLY over the aiDd terrible might
Of furious waves. Thus they build, year after year,
49,
close vast lakes in lib midst Of the ocean, where
eternal leace reigns undistuIbed by the stormy
waves and the raging tempest But when their mar
yell0us structure reaches the surface, it lies no
further, for the poIypi are true children Of the
sea, and as soon as sun and air tcnch Them they
die.
Like enchanted islands these circular reefs of the
corsls bask in the brightest light Of the tropics.
ground is white, being shallow shines brilliantly in
the gorgeous floods Of light, whilst without the
dark, bla TX pillows Of the ocean are kept of by
line Of breakers, rushing incessan ~ in white foam
blue ether and far beyond. the dark ocean and the
hszy air blending ct the horizon and melting bar.
enormously into one another. TIE effect Is peculiar
" grand and almost magical, when the coral rings
up their white c,ests Ia circles a.oupd the STILL
calm waters within, whilst land. no rock lie seen
to r,se above the surface of the oc-ao.
Frequently large reefs, richly studded with grace
around whose foot there grows 8 Iuxuriant,
tropical vegetation. Inside Of these reefs the
water is smooth and mirrJ--,ke, basking
in The warm sunlight without, there {.
eternal warfare !; raging foaming nrges swell
and rush in fierce stack against the firm wall, be-
siegiog it year after year, century after century
Thus he thy polypi protect proud man on his
polypi struggling boldly against the unuieasured
ocesn and II all the nations cath united, they
cou not build the smallest Of these coral reefs in
toe ocean-bnt the ccrals bu a past of the crns.
Of the great esrh. For their isands count aons in
the south Sea by thousands, all bnt fes feet alb we
the surface the sea, which around is unfatbom-
sb)e; all Iing shaped, with peaceful lake in the
centre ; all consisting OF Otrer material
bot that Of sill living corals. These islands,
bu II by the industrious poiypi under water,
ale planned end pecpled by tae same waves, by
whom ttey wee raised sb5ye high water ma K.
The currents bling seed and csrry large wing trees
from cistant shores: lizards yelrg IN heir roots
BIRDS nssil'pg ia their branches, aud insects ,nnu