The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-07-15
A Gem Of the Sea.
CORAL AND ITS ORIGIN.

In the last number Of Chambers Jour
nal a writer on coral says:
"As to fashion or taste for coral, who
can trace 1t to its origin? Tho Greek
name koraliion, 'sea-ornament,' denotes
mt once an admiration for IL; but they
werc wocfully at issue about the nature
and origin of the substance. The an
clients used coral rs amulets, rs an orna-
ment for bucklers and helmets, rs charm
to protect infants fr, m disease. and Great
ed in various ways) as n medicine against
fever, ophthaimia, and other maladies.
During the middle ages, coral was very
seldom mentioned by writers. and Is sup
posed to have becn but little used. Fran
els the First gave start to the uso oi
this pretty substance for ornamental pur-
poses; and 1t has remained In favor ever
since. 1t 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, &c.
The 'irrepressible Niger Is said to be
very fond of coral ornaments; and we
shall perhaps not no very uncharitable II
we suppose that he is occasionally an un-
snspecting purchaser Of false or imih'-
ton coral; such sophistication Is known
to be practiced by the use OF cinnabar
and other red and pink colored substances,
wieh regard to India, rs the Hindoos are
oflen buried with their personal orna-
meuts on them, and as these ornament OF.
ten include coral. there Is here COM
msrcial source Of exhaustion, which en-
couragcs u 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 speci-
mems. These grand growths are tho coral
reefs. NJ. Darwin. some years ago. pro.
pared map in which were put down NIL
the reefs of coral which surround the num-
erous islands 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 convenience into three groups: l. The
atoH reef Is circular or curved ridge Of
coral, visible mt low water. but nearly
covered Mt high water. and having tran.
quill lake In the centre. The diameter
varies from one mile to sixty miles, In
different examples; and the shape Is usual
" an irregular oval. There Is generally
n profound depth of ocean at u very short
distance from the atoll. In one case, the
depth Is thousand feet, mt distance OF
less than quarter of mile; but far
more noteworthy than this, there Is one
atoll mt two hundred feet from which no
soundings could be found with 1900 feet
Of line; and another. where 1000 feet
found no bottom Mt n mile and quarter
distancc! The interior lake or lagoon Is
never profoundly deep. We may there
fore picture to ourselves An atoll rs the top
Of steep conical submarine mountain,
with kind of crater Mt the summit. 2
The barrier reef differs from an atoll In
having one or more islands within It; II
forms, In fact, q barrier around an island
or islands, Mt some considerable distance,
and separated by moat Of very deep
water. Some Of them run along parallel
to the shore; In some the islands have
joined to form continuous strip OF dry
land; while in many instances tho island
forms n very LOFTY mountain. 5. The
SuOIt Ecti ItccLluiCS ~ oaiioA ASVA W hss' :
ing land within or near 1t; but the dry
land Is very near. and the intervening WA
ter very shallow; while In most instances
there are no islands or islcts. the whole reef
beng submerged Mt high water. In all
Of the three kinds-atoll. barrier and shore
Tho reef has been formed by countless
myriads of insects. working mt tho con-
struction Of their hollow dwellings, Mr..
Darwin. by tr cling local connection be-
tween volcanoes and reefs, arrived Mt the
conclusion that wherever an atoll or q
barrier reef has been formed, the bed OF
the ocean has subsidized; while At the spots
where shore reefs occur, the bed OF the sea
Is either uprising or stationary. Islands
and mountains In the Pacific have been
submerged by the subsideuce Of tho ocean
bed; and when tho subsidence has taken
place 70 certain extent coral insects set
TO work at their busy labors; for, whether
In The Pacific or tho Mediterranean, the in
sect always works In the water. but n no
great dspkh. below tho surtacs, AL three
kinds ara ntiafactWily accounted icg, on