capital, and they have, in
most cases, prospered equal to their expectations."

GEORGE. "Are there not more coral reefs about Australia than in any
other part of the Ocean?"

MR. WILTON. "It is generally supposed so; but, in asking that
question, do you know what coral reefs are?"

GEORGE. "Yes, papa; they are the work of insects, who build them for
their habitations; but it is very wonderful."

GRANDY. "It is wonderful, my dear; and there are many other
marvellous productions of the Most High God, so infinitely beyond
the power of man to produce, that, in meditating on them, the mind
is lost in wonder and surprise. 'The most powerful, acutest, and
holiest mind,' says a learned divine, 'will eternally be unable
fully to find out God, or perfectly to comprehend Him.' May these
wonders then increase our reverence, and humble us before the mighty
Creator of all things."

MR. WILTON. "Captain Hall examined some coral reefs during the
different stages of one tide, and gives the following description as
the result:--'When the tide has left it for some time, it becomes
dry, and appears to be a compact rock, exceedingly hard and rugged;
but as the tide rises, and the waves begin to wash over it, the
coral worms protrude themselves from holes that were before
invisible. These animals are of a great variety of shapes and sizes,
and, in such prodigious numbers, that, in a short time, the whole
surface of the rock appears to be alive and in motion. The most
common worm is in the form of a star, with arms from four to six
inches long, which are moved about with a rapid motion, in all
directions, probably to catch food. Others are so sluggish, that
they may be mistaken for pieces of rock; and are generally of a dark
color, from four to five inches long, and two or three round. When
the coral is broken about high-water mark, it is a solid hard stone;
but if any part of it be detached at a spot where the tide reaches
every day, it is found to be full of worms of different lengths and
colors, some being as fine as a thread and several feet long, of a
bright yellow, and sometimes of a blue color; others resemble
snails, and some are not unlike lobsters in shape, but soft, and
not above two inches long.'"

DORA. "We must be content to see these in imagination. But sometimes
I feel disposed to regret that we are not _really_ afloat in the
'Research;' and at other times I congratulate myself that the voyage
is only imaginary; for