The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1868-09-05
The Ocean Bottom.

Mr.. Green. tho famous diver, tells sinqu.
Lar stories of his adventures when making
search in the deep waters Of the ocean. He
gives some new sketches on what he saw
ut the Silver Banks. near Hayti
The banks Of coral on which my diyings
were made are about fc-ty 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 ard sublime scenes
the eye ever beheld The water varies
from ten to hundred feet in depth, ami so
clear that the diver Gun See FROM two to three
,i nundrec feet when submerged. with be-.
little obstruction to the sight
The bottom Of the ocean in manv places
Is as smooth as marble floor in others it
IS studded with coral columns, from ten to
one hundred feet in height, anu from s:,~
to eighty feet III diameter. The tons ~
those more lofty, support a myriad more,
giving 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 eazes
through the deep widening avenues, he
finds that they fill him with rs sacred an
awe as if te were in some oIG cathedral
which had been buried beneath old oceans
wave. Here snd there the coral extends
even to tie surface uf the water, as il the
oftier columns were towers belonging to
hose stately temples that are now in ruins.
There were countless varieties of diminu.
i've trees, shrubs and plants in every ere.
nee OF the coral where the water had de-
'osited earth. They were all of faint hue
wing to the pale light they received, al
bough Of every shade, and entirely differ
mt from Plants that am familiar with tina.
egetate upon dry land. One in particular
my attention, it resembled q sea
an OF immense site Of varigated colors. and
be most brilliant hue. The fish which
Inhabited these Silver Banks found ~
:fereat in kind as the scenery was varied
hey we're Of Ill forms. colors and sizes
rom the symmetrical goby to the globe
ke sunfish, from the dullest hue to the
hangeable dolphin from the spots Of the
soPard to the hues Of sunbeam from the
srmiess minnow to the voracious shark.
,Foae6 the water hk9 n meseofs, WINE orners
ould scarcely be seen 70 move.
"To euumerate and explain all the va
ions kinds of fish heheld while diving on
hese banks woald. we're enough Of q nato-
alist to do so, require more than my hints
,llow. for am convinced that most OF the
kiuds of fish which inhabit the tropical seas
,au Be found there. The sun6sh. startsh.
white shark and blue or shovel-nosc shark
we're ofte1 seen.
There were also fsh which resembled
plsn.s, and remained as fixed II their post
lion as a shrub; the only power they pos:
seased Wys 70 open and shut when In dan
cer Somo Of them resembled the rose
Rurn IN frA bloom. and we're of all hues.
There were the fish, from five inches 70
three feet in length; their eyes are very
large and protrude like those Of . frog.
Another fish is spotted like leopard, from
three to ten feet in length. They build
their houses like bearers. in which they
spawn, and the male or female watches the
egg until It matches. saw many specl-
mems of the green turtle, some i've feet
long which l should think would weigh from
four to FIVE hundred pounds