Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-01-26
Co al Formations.

20 al formations.
Hills have been leveled, valleys filled up and
cities built by the might Of man, and his works
have been justly considered as great and mighty
productions. But if man has built proud cities,
he may justly feel humbed in comparing his
works with the little coralne insects of the sea.
who have built islands in the deep ocean with
no other material for their walls than the mat
held in solution by the waters. Coral is
stony product of the sea resembling the produc-
tions of the garden, rvaling trees and shrubs in
the gracefulness and delicacy of their FORMS In
olden times it was believed that coral was q pet
rifed vegetable production, as it was well known
that vegetation could produce stately forests
and minute plants and when it was first suc,
gested that it WAS he vok IT ii VIZ liz
animals, by the naturalist, PeysunneI IN -,
scientific men pronounced the idea absurd. 1t
is well known that coral is the stony frames be-
longing to coraline insects, and piece of it
may be SAID to be composed of millions of their
skeletons. We have received q largo specimen
of this marine marble flora, sent to US by Geo.
E. Hardness, engineer Of Fort Jefferson, Fla
1t is of the kind found at the Tortugas Islands,
and is very beautiful, branching out into broad
leaves, rivallng in their tiny traccry the works
of the most skillful sculptors. Coral is princi-
pally composed of lime the insects secrete 1t
from the waters of the sea, and as each genera
ton expires, its successors continue the building
until it arises from the ocean as floral rocks and
islands. The operation of these marine insects
are principally confined to the warmer waters
Of the ocean, such as in the Gulf of Florida, and
the Indian and Pacific oceans. 1t is remarka-
BILE that, at so miles back from the sea-coast, in
the Carolinas, as perfect specimens of coral are
frequently dug from the mari pits as those OBJ
tanned fresh from the sea. The limestone of
New Jersey and of Missouri give evidence of
their coraline origin, thus affording proof that
many extensive tracks of this country were once
under the waters Of the great deep, and that
these little creatures were the builders of many
of the rocks and much of the dry land. But
the coral insects perform another great Office be-
sides increasing the boundaries of the land. 1t
is we'll known that silica, lime, magnesia, alum
ina, oxyds Of iron, and other soluble impurities,
are carried down into the ocean by the waters
from rivers. The little coralines act the part
of scavengers of the sea- as they secrete only the
impurities and refuse the salts of sodium, and
thus they build their houses from the very ma
terials which otherwise would accumulate and
render the ocean waters as bitter as those of the
sea Of Sodom. The coral insects and marine
shell-fsh store away the excess of lime water in
the sea and tend to purify its waters, in the
same manner that trees and vegetation absorb
carbonic acid from the atmosphere and keep it
pure for the welfare of man, 1t is thus that
the operations of nature are conducted upon
wise, simple and sublime plan by the great Au-
thor of Creation.-Scientifc American.