The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1867-12-24
THE OCEAN BORON. Mr.. Green,

The OCEAN BORROW. Mr.. Green.
famous diver, tells singular stories of
adventures, when making search in
deep waters OF the ocean. He o,
some new sketches Of what lie saw at
"Silver Bank" near Hay,i "The bar
OF coral on which my divings were ma
are about forty miles in length. and frd
ten TO twenty in breadth. On this ba
Of coral is presented TO the diver one
the most beautiful and sublime scenes
eye ever beheld. The water yarios fr,
ten TO one hundred feet in depth, and
clear that the diver can see from two
three hundred feet when submerged, vii
but little obstruction TO the sight.
The bottom of the ocean, in mad
places, is as smooth as a marble a,od
IN Others IT is studded with coral column
from ten to One hundred feet in beiol
and one to eighty feet in diameter r;
tops of those more lofty support a mvri.
mort, giving reality TO Tie ima1;na
abode OF some watcr-nymph. In 9th
places the pendants form arch after s-cJ
and, as The diver stands on the bottom
the ocean, and gazcs through in the dec
winding avenues, hc finds that tbcv GI
l'im with as sacred an awe Us if he wer|
ID some Old cathedral which had lonI
been buried beneath old oceans wave Il
Ilere and there the coral extends even a
the surface OF the water as if the lort;s
columns were towers belonging to thosj
9at"y temples that are now IN ruins.
Ihere were countless varieties of dimin.
uuve trees, shrubs AMI plants in cverv
cFeVlce OF the coraIs where water had H..
posted the earth. They were all Of a
'''hi hue, owing 10 the pale lisht rbov
received, although Of every shade md
entirely different from plants that 7 nm
t'm!'iar with that vegetate upon drv
land. One in particular att acted mo -;
ten'ioni ii rescmbled sea fan of i'm.
menSo size, of variegated colors and the
most brilliant hue. The f,h which in.
haolt these "f'llvcr Banks" found n,
different d, in kind as the scenery was varied
They were of FALL forms, colofs AMI ,;zos
IRON the symeircal goby 10 the p,ohe
Iike sunlish, from the dule~t hue TO tho
ch"nseaVIe dolphin; from the epo,s of
the leopard TO the bues Of the sunbeam :.
from the harmless minnow to the worn,
ciou' shark.
Some had heads like squirrels, others
IKE cats ana dogs, some OF small size re-.
semo'ed the bull-terrier. Some dartcd
through the water like mcteJrs. wb;la
Others could scarcely be seen to move.
10 enumerate and explain all tho r..
rious Kinds OF fish beheld while l;vino
on these banks would, were enough Of #
naturalist so to do, require more than
my limits allow, for | am convinced ,Lo,
most OF the kinds of f.h which inbah;,
the tropical seas can be found ,boro
The sun fish, star fish, white shark md
blue or shovel nose shark were often seen
1herc were also fish which resenbleI
p'aht7' and remained as fixed in their no.
sition as shrub; the only nower ,hou
possessed was to open and shut when in
danger. Some Of them resembled the
rose when in full bloom, and were of all
hue5' There were the ribbon fish. from
iour or hVe inches to three feet in length !.
Their eyes are very large and protude like
those ola frog. A'
Another fish is spotted like leonard
rom three to ten feet in length jbev
ouild Their houses like beavers, in which
'hey spawn, and the male or femaIo
Watches the esg until it matches. saw
many Specimens of the green turtle, some
hve ieet long, which should think wouId
weigh from 400 to 500 pounds"