The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-02-04

Cuba, the Indies, PHILIPPINES, South
Pacific, Yucatan, Australia and Ha-
waiian Islands. He has been at the
work many years.
Darwin and Dana had their theories
we'll established when Professor Agas-
siz entered the field. He was told to
go to Fiji and other selected spots
and demonstrate his contradictions.
He did that and much more and now
science is accepting the result of ex-
hauStive research, instead of assertion
based on cursory examination and
smooth logic. Those who first look
ed into the subject are still of record
as placing at unknown depth" ocean
localities that have since been dredged
extensively and with comparative
ease. At one time a few hundred
fathoms was considered unknown
depth" An expedition of the United
States Government with which Profess
sor Agassiz was connected sounded
and worked at 3,700 fathoms and
work has been done with the modern
appliance for investigating depths at
5000 fathoms. In years agone very
little attention was paid to winds or
rains as factors in the lives of islands
or atols. Now the matter Of the ele-
ments is made an important consid-
Grafton. Formerly in this realm of
investigation no attention was paid as
to whether an island formed portion
of range Of mountains, series of
islands, or was of volcanic character
Now all such differences are care
fully noted.
AS it comes to the lay mind, Darwin
and Dana hold that the coral is made,
sinks and is replenished on the sur
face. This, they taught continued in
definitely and this process was called
the theory of subsidence. 1t is now
firmly the opinion of Professor Agas-
siz that the coral is a comparatively
thin crust formed upon mountain
that had been submerged or upon a
volcanic pile. In nearly every instance
where borings have been made the
coral has been found to be shallow.
AT the few places where it seems to
have the great depth that might be
a portion of fact substantiating the
theories Of Darwin and Dana, Profess
sor Agassiz proves that the material
into which the deep borings are made
is lime of former age of the earth.
Professor Agassiz shows by the for
nation of the atols, the islands and
the barrier reefs that contour and the
shape in every way is more compati-
bic with his verdict than with the be-
lief of the Darwin and Dana school,
He argues and shows that the adj
mixture of sand with the coral estab-
"a
clusion. The foundation for the coral
in every instance is proven to be of
such material and in every way of
such shape as to warrant the conclu-
sion positively that coral is simply
the cap to submerged mountains and
volcanic upheavals The surveys and
the maps picture the naturalness of
the strata beneath the new limestone
In many instances, from location, sur
roundings and the situation of steady
winds it is clear that where coral top
is now found the support was reduced
by mechanical action. Coral is made
at depth of but few fathoms.
Where it is found at great depth, it
has not descended by itself, but it.
dropped on account of the nature, ply
sically, of the foundation
AS Associate Justice Frear had sug-
gested, Professor Agassiz on this oc-
cation made known for the very first
time the conclusions of his most recent
researches and entertained and in
structed his hearers in a manner that
they will not soon forget. One of the
most interesting points was reference
to the great barrier reef of Australia,
which has been explored so far for
1,500 miles.
At the conclusion of the lecture,
Chief Justice Judd, with the remark
that we all lived on the reef, moved
vote Of thanks to Professor A. Agas-
siz which was most heartily carried