The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs | Page 5

the origin of the ring-shaped atolls--and
the difficulty which he found in accepting the volcanic theory, as an
explanation of the phenomena of coral-reefs, is well set forth in his
book.
In an interesting fragment of autobiography, Darwin has given us a
very clear account of the way in which the leading idea of the theory of
coral-reefs originated in his mind; he writes, "No other work of mine
was begun in so deductive a spirit as this, for the whole theory was
thought out on the west coast of South America, before I had seen a
true coral-reef. I had therefore only to verify and extend my views by a
careful examination of living reefs. But it should be observed that I had
during the two previous years been incessantly attending to the effects
on the shores of South America of the intermittent elevation of the land,
together with the denudation and deposition of sediment. This
necessarily led me to reflect much on the effects of subsidence, and it
was easy to replace in imagination the continued deposition of
sediment by the upward growth of corals. To do this was to form my
theory of the formation of barrier-reefs and atolls."

On her homeward voyage, the "Beagle" visited Tahiti, Australia, and
some of the coral-islands in the Indian Ocean, and Darwin had an
opportunity of testing and verifying the conclusion at which he had
arrived by studying the statements of other observers.
I well recollect a remarkable conversation I had with Darwin, shortly
after the death of Lyell. With characteristic modesty, he told me that he
never fully realised the importance of his theory of coral-reefs till he
had an opportunity of discussing it with Lyell, shortly after the return
of the "Beagle". Lyell, on receiving from the lips of its author a sketch
of the new theory, was so overcome with delight that he danced about
and threw himself into the wildest contortions, as was his manner when
excessively pleased. He wrote shortly afterwards to Darwin as
follows:--"I could think of nothing for days after your lesson on
coral-reefs, but of the tops of submerged continents. It is all true, but do
not flatter yourself that you will be believed till you are growing bald
like me, with hard work and vexation at the incredulity of the world."
On May 24th, 1837, Lyell wrote to Sir John Herschel as follows:--"I
am very full of Darwin's new theory of coral-islands, and have urged
Whewell to make him read it at our next meeting. I must give up my
volcanic crater forever, though it cost me a pang at first, for it
accounted for so much." Dr. Whewell was president of the Geological
Society at the time, and on May 31st, 1837, Darwin read a paper
entitled "On Certain Areas of Elevation and Subsidence in the Pacific
and Indian oceans, as deduced from the Study of Coral Formations," an
abstract of which appeared in the second volume of the Society's
proceedings.
It was about this time that Darwin, having settled himself in lodgings at
Great Marlborough Street, commenced the writing of his book on
"Coral-Reefs." Many delays from ill-health and the interruption of
other work, caused the progress to be slow, and his journal speaks of
"recommencing" the subject in February 1839, shortly after his
marriage, and again in October of the same year. In July 1841, he states
that he began once more "after more than thirteen month's interval,"
and the last proof-sheet of the book was not corrected till May 6th,
1842. Darwin writes in his autobiography, "This book, though a small
one, cost me twenty months of hard work, as I had to read every work
on the islands of the Pacific, and to consult many charts." The task of

elaborating and writing out his books was, with Darwin, always a very
slow and laborious one; but it is clear that in accomplishing the work
now under consideration, there was a long and constant struggle with
the lethargy and weakness resulting from the sad condition of his health
at that time.
Lyell's anticipation that the theory of coral-reefs would be slow in
meeting with general acceptance was certainly not justified by the
actual facts. On the contrary the new book was at once received with
general assent among both geologists and zoologists, and even attracted
a considerable amount of attention from the general public.
It was not long before the coral-reef theory of Darwin found an able
exponent and sturdy champion in the person of the great American
naturalist, Professor James D. Dana. Two years after the return of the
"Beagle" to England, the ships of the United States Exploring
Expedition set sail upon their four years' cruise, under the command of
Captain Wilkes, and Dana was a member