This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1884 Excerpt: ... of sailors amongst the natives of Tierra del Fuego, whose degraded condition had made so deep an impression on Darwin's mind. In former days, we are told by Admiral Sullivan, no shipwrecked crew ever escaped from that inhospitable shore with their lives, except by force of arms. Some time after the Mission was ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1884 Excerpt: ... of sailors amongst the natives of Tierra del Fuego, whose degraded condition had made so deep an impression on Darwin's mind. In former days, we are told by Admiral Sullivan, no shipwrecked crew ever escaped from that inhospitable shore with their lives, except by force of arms. Some time after the Mission was established, a Liverpool barque and a schooner were driven upon the coast, a few miles from the site of a stockade built by a number of sailors, years before, to defend themselves against the natives. In the present case, the castaways were treated by the Fuegians with the greatest kindness, and guided many hundreds of miles to a spot where passing vessels might be signalled. New Zealand and Australia were visited next, and then the Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean, where Mr. Darwin examined the coral formation, and discovered the secret of the curious lagoon-islands, or atolls, which had excited the wonder and admiration of every traveller who saw them. He devotes several pages to a lucid description of these marvellous structures, and it was afterwards enlarged into the well-known work on the Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs. Thousands of voyagers had seen these atolls, and many had tried to explain their construction; but the secret was kept until Mr. Darwin revealed it. His explanation is as simple as it is ingenious. The oceanic islands, round which the corals build their reefs, gradually subside. As they sink, the coral-reefs are built higher and higher, until, when the original island disappears, what we may call a lake in the midst of the ocean remains, such as is represented in the accompanying sketch. We can only sum up in a few words the conclusion that was reached, but it is supported by an array of facts and arguments w...
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Add this copy of Charles Darwin, a Paper... to cart. $38.69, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Nabu Press.
