the former had done, and
destroying the plants that may have begun to vegetate from cocoa-nuts,
roots, and seed brought thither by birds, or thrown up by the sea. This,
doubtless, happens very frequently, for we found many cocoa-nuts, and
some other things, just sprouting up, only a few inches beyond where the
sea reaches at present, in places where it was evident they could not
have had their origin from those farther in, already arrived at their
full growth. At the same time, the increase of vegetables will add fast
to the height of this new-created land, as the fallen leaves and broken
branches are, in such a climate, soon converted into a true black mould
or soil.[157]

[Footnote 157: Mr Anderson, in his journal, mentions the following
particulars relative to Palmerston's Island, which strongly confirm
Captain Cook's opinion about its formation. "On the last of the two
islets, where we landed, the trees, being in great numbers, had already
formed, by their rotten parts, little risings or eminences, which in
time, from the same cause, may become small hills. Whereas, on the first
islet, the trees being less numerous, no such thing had as yet happened.
Nevertheless, on that little spot the manner of formation was more
plainly pointed out; for, adjoining to it was a small isle, which had
doubtless been very lately formed, as it was not as yet covered with any
trees, but had a great many shrubs, some of which were growing among
pieces of coral that the sea had thrown up. There was still a more sure
proof of this method of formation a little farther on, where two patches
of sand, about fifty yards long, and a foot or eighteen inches high, lay
upon the reef, but not as yet furnished with a single bush or tree."--D.

In a former volume we quoted a passage from Dr Forster's observations
respecting the formation of coral islands. Captain Flinders gives a
similar account in vol. ii. p. 114, of his voyage, drawn up from his own
observations on Half-way Island, on the north coast of Terra Australis.
It is too long for this place. The reader will find it transcribed,
together with Forster's, in the notes to the translation of Cuvier's
work, already referred to.--E.]

Perhaps there is another cause, which, if allowed, will accelerate the
increase of these islands as much as any other, and will also account
for the sea having receded from those elevated rocks before mentioned.
This is the spreading of the coral bank, or reef, in