The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1860-10-12
Bottom of the Ocean.

Mr.. Green, the famous diver, tells singular
stories of his adventures when making search
in the deep waters of ocean. He gives some
sketches of what he saw on the Silver Banks,
near Hayti:
The banks of coral on which my divings.
narrated in the previous chapter. were made.
are about forty miles in length, and from ten
to twenty in breadth.
On this bank of coral is presented to the
diver one of the most beautiful and sublime
scenes the eye ever be'.eld. The water va
ries from ten to one hundred feet in depth,
and is SO clear that the diver can see from
two to three hundred feet, when submerged,
with little obstruction to the sight.
The bottom of the ocean in many places
on these banks is as smooth as marble
floor; in others it is studded with coral col
unns, from ten to one hundred feet in height
and one to eighty feet in diameter. The
tops of those more lofty support myriad of
pyramidal pendants, each forming myriad
more; giving the reality to the imaginary
abode of some water nymph. In other places
the pendants form arch after arch, and as the
diver stands on the bottom of the ocean. and
gazes through these into the deep winding
avenue, he feels that they fill him with as sa-
cred an awe as if he were in some old cathe
dral, which had long been buried beneath
raj extends even to the surface of the water,
as if those loftier columns were towers be-
longing to those stately temples now in ru-
ins.
There were countless varieties of diminu
tive trees, shrubs and plants, in every crevce
of the corals where the water lad deposited
the least earth. They were all of faint hue
owing to the pale light they received, al
though of every shade, and entirely different
from plants am familiar with, that vegetate
upon dry land. One in particular attracted
my attention; it resembled a sea-fan of i'm
mense size, of variegated colors, and of the
most brilliant hue.
The fish which inhabited those Silver
Banks | found as different in kind as the see
merry was varied. They were of all forms,
colors and sizes-from the symmetrical goby
to the globe-lke sun-fsh; from those of the
duiiest hue to the changcahle dol phin; from
the spots OF the leopard to the hues Of the
sunbeam; from the harmless minnow to the
'oi"Aiouo Sildih. COiiS iitll IcdUS lIht ~
rels, others like cats and dogs; one of small
size reSembed bull terrier, Some darted
through the water like meteors, while others
could scarce y be seen to move.
To enumerate and explain all the various
kinds of fish beheld while diving on these
banks. would, were enough of a naturalist
SO to do. require more space than my limits
will allow, for am convinced that most of
the kinds Of fish which inhabit the tropical
seas, CAR be found there. The sun-tish, saw
fish, s,ar-t;>t. white shark, ground shark,
blue. or shoyei-nose sharks. were often seen.
There Were a..o fish which lesembled
plants End remained as fixed in their position
as shrub. The only power they possessed
was to open and shut when in danger Some
OF them resembled the rose in full bloom, and
were of all hues. There We're ribbon-tish
from four or five inches to three feet
length. Their eyes aIe very .arse and pro-
truGe like those Of n frog. Another fish was
spotted ike the leopard, from three to ten
feet long. They build their houses like the
beaver, in which they spawn, and the male
or female watches the ora until it hatches
saw man! specimens Of the green turtle soue
five feet long. which should think would
weish from four hundred to FIVE hundred
pounds.