I had only once before seen a similar exhibition of such great and permanently elevated masses of dead coral upon a living reef—­a phenomenon of much interest in connection with Mr. Darwin’s theory of the mode of formation of coral reefs.  This was on a portion of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, visited in company with Mr. Jukes, who has published a detailed account of it.* In both cases the only obvious explanation is that these huge blocks—­too massive to have been hove up from deep water into their present position by any storm—­reached their present level by the elevation of the sea bottom on which they were formed.

(Footnote.  Voyage of H.M.S.  Fly by J.B.  Jukes volume 1 page 340.)

Before quitting the subject of the coral reefs of the Louisiade I may be permitted to express my conviction of the perfect manner in which many, perhaps all of the appearances which they present may be satisfactorily accounted for by the application of Mr. Darwin’s theory.  We have only to presume the whole of the Archipelago to have once formed part of New Guinea—­a supposition highly probable in itself (suggested even by a careful examination of the large charts) and strengthened by the total absence of signs of volcanic agency in what the theory in question would require to be an area of subsidence as opposed to those of elevation, such as are known to exist in parts of New Guinea.

ETHNOLOGY OF NEW GUINEA.

The ethnology of New Guinea is involved in so much confusion and obscurity for the want of sufficient data, that even with the aid of some additional recently acquired information bearing upon the subject, I wish the following brief remarks to be regarded more as probable assumptions than as views the correctness of which admits of demonstration.  Besides, to give all the proofs, such as they are, would cause much repetition of what has been already stated above.

I must premise that most of our previous definite information regarding the inhabitants of New Guinea applies only to a small portion of the north-west coast of that great island in the neighbourhood of Port Dorey, which is known to be peopled by several distinct varieties of mankind, of which one (with which, as occupying the coast, we are best acquainted) is designated the Papuan, or Papua, as generally understood by that appellation when used in its restricted signification.  These Papuans, according to Dumont D’Urville,* compose the principal part of the population of Port Dorey, and, judging from his description, I have no hesitation in referring to them also the inhabitants of the Louisiade Archipelago and the South-East coast of New Guinea, and agree with Prichard (in opposition to the views of others) that they “constitute a genuine and peculiar tribe."**

(Footnote.  Voyage de l’Astrolabe tome 4 page 603.)

(**Footnote.  Researches into the Physical History of Mankind volume 5 page 227.)