me much by their strange ideas concerning the Russian I
war. They believe that the Russians were not only most I
thoroughly beaten by the Turks, but were absolutely con- I
quered, and all converted to Islamism ! And they can I
hardly be convinced that such is not the case, and that had I
it not been for the assistance of France and England, the I
poor Sultan would have fared ill. Another of their I
notions is, that the Turks are the largest and strongest I
people in the world—in fact a race of giants; that they eat I
enormous quantities of meat, and are a most ferocious I
and irresistible nation. Whence such strangely incorrect I
opinions could have arisen it is difficult to understand, I
unless they are derived from Arab priests, or hadjis re- I
turned from Mecca, who may have heard of the ancient I
prowess of the Turkish armies when they made all Europe
tremble, and suppose that their character and warlike
capacity must be the same at the present time.
•GORAM.
A steady south-east wind having set in, we returned to
Manowolko on the 25th of April, and the day after crossed
over to Ondor, the chief village of Goram.
Around this island extends, with few interruptions, an
encircling coral reef about a quarter of a mile from the
shore, visible as a stripe of pale green water, but only at
le ry lowest ebb-tides showing any rock above the surface.
■There are several deep entrances through this reef, and
inside it there is good anchorage in all weathers. The land
Rises gradually to a moderate height, and numerous, small
Rtreams descend on all sides. The mere existence of these
■streams would prove that the island was not entirely coral-
Bine as in that case all the water would sink through the
■porous rock as it does at Manowolko and Matabello; but
B ve pave more positive proof in the pebbles and stones of
» h e ir beds, which exhibit a variety of stratified crystalline
Brocks. About a hundred yards from the beach rises a Wall
■of coral rock, ten or twenty feet high, above which is an
■undulating surface of rugged coral, which slopes downward
■towards the interior, and then after a slight ascent is
■bounded by a second wall of coral. Similar walls occur
■higher up, and coral is found on the highest part of the
■I i sland■,.
This peculiar structure teaches us that before the
■coral was formed land existed in this spot; that this
■land sunk gradually beneath the waters, but with in-
■tervals of rest, during which encircling reefs were formed
1 around it at different elevations ; that it then rose to
■above its present elevation, and is now again sinking.
■ We infer this/because encircling reefs are a proof of
■subsidence; and if the island were again elevated about
| a hundred feet, what is now the reef and the shallow