To Linnean Society 23 June 1875
[Abinger Hall, Surrey.]
June 23 1875
I cannot recommend Mr Powell’s paper to be printed in extenso.1 It contains very little new matter; & as the author speaks in two places as if consolidated coral-rock had flowed like lava, it is impossible to trust his geological knowledge. He gives no precise information, which if given would have been of value, on the heights of the several islands
His view of the origin of Atolls is the same as that formerly held by Sir C. Lyell, namely that they are built on sub-marine craters.2 Nevertheless, as he seems to have found, more frequently than any other observer, volcanic products within the Coral Archipelagos, it would be adviseable to give a brief abstract of the paper. I would call attention to his observations (p. 13) on Fūnafuti, which though vague, seem the most valuable in the paper.3
A new plan moreover, of this island is given on the authority of Captain Turpie.4 The author speaks of a swamp as existing here, covered with scoriæ, & bounded on one side by an embankment of great stones; but he does not state that the fragments are too compact to have been driven by the currents of the sea. The author gives lists of the plants found on the several islands; but these seem to me hardly precise enough to be worth publishing; some botanist however ought to glance at the lists & decide on this head.
Charles Darwin
To the Council of the Linnean Society.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Columbia gazetteer of the world: The Columbia gazetteer of the world. Edited by Saul B. Cohen. 3 vols. New York: Columbia University Press. 1998.
Coral reefs: The structure and distribution of coral reefs. Being the first part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, under the command of Capt. FitzRoy RN, during the years 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1842.
Lyell, Charles. 1830–3. Principles of geology, being an attempt to explain the former changes of the earth’s surface, by reference to causes now in operation. 3 vols. London: John Murray.
Summary
Gives a report on a paper by Thomas Powell on coral islands ["Notes on the nature and productions of several atolls of the Tokelan, Ellice, and Gilbert Groups, South Pacific", read 15 Apr 1875, not published].
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-10027
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Linnean Society
- Sent from
- Abinger Hall Down letterhead
- Source of text
- Linnean Society of London (SP.917)
- Physical description
- LS 4pp & ADraft 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 10027,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-10027.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 23