Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1870-07-22
- GEN OF THR sR.s.
CORAL AND ITS ORIGIN.

CORAL AND ITS ORIGIN.
Il IN the last number of Chambers Jour
nal writer on coral says:
AS to fashion or taste for coral, who can
trace II to its origin. The Greek name kor-
alton, "sea-ornament," denotes at once an
admiration for I'll but they were wofully
at issue about the nature and origin of the
substance. The ancients used coral rs
anlnlets, as an ornament for bucklers and
/ helmets, as charm to protect infants from
sease, and Created in many ways) as
Ecdicine against fever, opthalma, and 9TH
maladies. During the middle ages,
Ntal was very seldom mohtioned by writ
3Ts, and is supposed to have been but little
lsod. Francis the first gave a start to the
use Of this pretty substance for ornamon-
al psrposes and il has remained in favor
Her since. II is now made into negligees.
beads, buhls, boutons, bracelets, brooches,
earrings, tiaras, combs, hair pins, links,
| studs, scarf pins, charms, settings for rings,
parasol garnitures, canoes, etc The 'irre-
pressible niger is said to be very fond of
coral ornaments; and we shall perhaps not
bo very uncharitable if we suppose that he
is occasionally an unsuspecting purchaser
of false or imitation coral such sophsti-
cation is known to be practised by the use
OF cinnabar and other red and pink color
ing substances. With regard to India, as
the lIindoos are often buried with their
personal ornaments on them, and these
ornaments often include coral, there il here
commercial source of exhaustion, which
encourages a commercial increase of sup
ply
But the really grand growths of coral
are almost distinct from those formations
which are found in the Mediterranean, and
which supply the ornamental specimens.
These grand growths are the coral reefs.
Nj. Darwin, some years ago, prepared
map in which were put down all the reefs
of coral which surround the numerous ISL
ands in the Pacific In one almost straight
line of ten thousand miles from Pitcairn
Island TO China, those reefs stud the vast
ocean. The reefs are classified for conyen-
ienco into three groups l. The atoU reef
is circular or curved ridge of coral visi-
Bile 1t low water, but nearly covered at
higl water, and having a tranquil lake in
the rentrc. Tho d;ametar varios FROM, ono
mile to sixty miles, in different examples
and the shane is usuallv an irreauIor oval
rrbero il gororo11, nroeo,,,d do,,u, 90
oce,n nt a worry sbor, d;otoroo from, ,ho
atoll. In one case the depth is thousand
tee,, at distance of a quarter of mile
bui far mora potowortbv Than ,bi. ,hore
is ono ntoll at two bundred foot from, yyhioh
no soundings conld bo foupd with ,,yoI,o
burdred foot of limo. and opo,ber uhoro
sev., thousond foot foupd po ho,trm n, n
mila and n ouartor distancoi Tho intor;or
lakpor lagoon il never profoundly deem.
We may therefore picture to ourselves an
atoll as the top of steep conical subma-
rine mountain, with kind of crater at the
summit. z. The barrier reef differs from
an atoii III having one or more islands
wlthih IL; u lorins' IN iact' a barrier around
an lsialu vi iS''iiuS' ~. so'i'e cohsiueraoie
instance anu separator py hoat OF very
ueeP water 0oiiio o' then' run aiohg par
aiiei 10 'he Shoie' III Soiie the 'siahus nave
Joiheu 10 lo'i" CONTINUOUS strip OF ory
i"iiu "nilo III many ihs'ances Tue isiahu
lorll'S very 'oi'y mountain D. Inc shore
reei reseiiipics d parrlor reei III having ianu
"l'nlh oI near II ou' 'ne ury iahu Is very
near anu 'le intervening water very snail
~" ""''o ~ ''o9' i"''H''e' 'noie aie ho
i9'''us vi iS'ote' 'ne "no'e ieoi oeihs SUD
ir'rseu at nish WAFER III All 'he 'hree
hl"uS-''o''' oariier "n" shore-the reei
Has pceH 'oi'''" Dy eo"l'iess ihyriaus oi
COR" ii'secls, "orhihe "' 'he construction
vi tncIr ho'lo" u"eiiihSs' MI Dar"lh'