登陆注册
4703400000003

第3章

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 of the scientific staff. When, in 1839, the expedition arrived at Sydney, a newspaper paragraph was found which gave the American naturalist the first intimation of Darwin's new theory of the origin of atolls and barrier-reefs. Writing in 1872, Dana describes the effect produced on his mind by reading this passage:--"The paragraph threw a flood of light over the subject, and called forth feelings of peculiar satisfaction, and of gratefulness to Mr. Darwin, which still come up afresh whenever the subject of coral islands is mentioned. The Gambier Islands in the Paumotus, which gave him the key to the theory, I had not seen; but on reaching the Feejees, six months later, in 1840, I found there similar facts on a still grander scale and of a more diversified character, so that I was afterward enabled to speak of his theory as established with more positiveness than he himself, in his philosophic caution, had been ready to adopt. His work on coral-reefs appeared in 1842, when my report on the subject was already in manuscript. It showed that the conclusions on other points, which we had independently reached, were for the most part the same. The principal points of difference relate to the reason for the absence of corals from some coasts, and the evidence therefrom as to changes of level, and the distribution of the oceanic regions of elevation and subsidence--topics which a wide range of travel over the Pacific brought directly and constantly to my attention."

Among the Reports of the United States Exploring Expedition, two important works from the pen of Professor Dana made their appearance;--one on "Zoophytes," which treats at length on "Corals and Coral-Animals," and the other on "Coral-Reefs and Islands." In 1872, Dana prepared a work of a more popular character in which some of the chief results of his studies are described; it bore the title of "Corals and Coral-Islands." Of this work, new and enlarged editions appeared in 1874 and 1890 in America, while two editions were published in this country in 1872 and 1875. In all these works their author, while maintaining an independent judgment on certain matters of detail, warmly defends the views of Darwin on all points essential to the theory.

Another able exponent and illustrator of the theory of coral-reefs was found in Professor J.B. Jukes, who accompanied H.M.S. "Fly", as naturalist, during the survey of the Great Barrier-Reef--in the years 1842 to 1846.

同类推荐
  • Mugby Junction

    Mugby Junction

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛顶尊胜陀罗尼别法

    佛顶尊胜陀罗尼别法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 宗伯集

    宗伯集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 鲊话

    鲊话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 药师仪轨一具

    药师仪轨一具

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 甜蜜婚恋:命中注定我爱你

    甜蜜婚恋:命中注定我爱你

    “你说我的命怎么就那么苦呢?渣男一个接一个!”“认命吧,你落在我手里,就别想逃!”“放开我!”“不放不放就不放!”大龄剩女寻爱计,战斗吧,渣男!
  • 改变一生的10堂口才课

    改变一生的10堂口才课

    古代有“一言以兴邦,一言以丧邦”“一人之辩重于九鼎之宝,三寸之舌强于百万之师”。现在有“一句话可以让人笑,一句话也可让人跳”。由此可见,口才的重要性。卡耐基说:“好口才是社交的需要,是事业的需要,是生存的需要。”只有掌握了说话的技巧和原则,才能够达到“一语惊起千层浪”的效果,才能够掌握开启成功之门的钥匙!
  • 大建筑商

    大建筑商

    刚毕业的职场萌新林秋意外得到大建筑商系统,可以给他提供和建设相关的所有商品进行选购。系统改变命运啊!只要有系统,猪也可以飞起来!只要有系统,我也可以定个小目标!只要有系统,我也可以不知道眼前这些美女有多美!只要有系统,十年以后,我也可以后悔创立......系统:“宿主,如果你是猪,本系统一定不会带你飞。”林秋:“别打岔! 建了个群:701573235,进来看看。
  • 正能量:用信念改变自己

    正能量:用信念改变自己

    我们每天都会接触到各种负能量,当你状态不佳时就很容易让负能量入侵,这就是你需要修炼的时候,要尽量缩短将负能量转化为正能量的时间。你可以通过一系列的训练方法,提升我们内在的信任、豁达、愉悦、进取等正能量;规避自私、猜疑、沮丧、消沉等负能量。
  • 孙子略解

    孙子略解

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 我的网红女木匠

    我的网红女木匠

    那年,她在学校超市的电视机里看到采访他的新闻。惊鸿一瞥,未知全名。遇见那天,他在博物馆门口遇到一个问是否在等她的女生,颜值高,打扮的却像逛超市的大婶般普通。此后,他的隐藏技能逐渐显露,最大的爱好就是帮女朋友买买买。如果爱情像是在看一条鱼,他知道她是否欢喜。网红女木匠VS文物修复师
  • 不知多少人羡慕你正青春

    不知多少人羡慕你正青春

    成长是得到的过程,亦是失去的过程。磕磕绊绊地逢迎,费力地讨好,懂了太多事,却渐渐也失去了自己,丢了最简单的快乐。青春像一种天性,正值怦然心动的青春中鲜活的人们,别被眼下的懊恼、迷茫、得失阻碍,尽情去享受这个年龄的快乐吧!该懂事的时间长达一生呢!青春已逝的人们,只要心中时常记起青春,甚至有勇气重走青春,仍旧可以继续年少,谁不曾青春过,又有谁的青春不迷茫?与其磕磕绊绊地逢迎这个世界的规则,还不如活出每一个年龄该有的精彩,毕竟一生那么长、快乐这么短,有些事还是别懂得太快。这本书像捧在手中的纸上直播剧,会让你重走青春,怦然心动又忍俊不禁。
  • 哈佛经典讲座

    哈佛经典讲座

    学习的最大成本,是时间。如何在最短时间里了解更多的知识,尽可能提升自我的人文素养,培养自己的高尚品位?哈佛大学校长邀集30位世界顶级教授,就人类社会的9大核心知识领域,进行了42堂深入浅出的讲座,最终集结成这部《哈佛经典讲座》。此书一经问世,便风靡世界,不仅美国大学人手一册,也几乎成为美国家庭的必备藏书。本书包括历史、哲学、宗教、诗歌、小说与传记、评论与随笔、戏剧、教育、旅行等9个门类,囊括了3000年来的人类知识精华,涉及的原典达百部之多。读者通过这一本书,能轻松踏入人类知识的殿堂,尽情汲取人类智慧的精华,使自己拥有广博的视野、深度的思维和不凡的品位。
  • 或许你选择了理想

    或许你选择了理想

    你一夜无眠。在柔软的席梦思床上,你显得心事重重,烦躁不安。你很想安静地睡实,让一切都平静下来,就像完成了一项不足为奇的采访任务一样。你不断地提醒自己,虽然身处大山深处,却是住在县城里的宾馆,威临宾馆。但恰恰是威临这两个字让你找不到丝毫舒适安逸的感觉。威临的意思无非是君威降临。它标志着正统对反叛,文明对蛮荒的征服。朦胧中,你似乎看到了几百年前的一个场景,一队雄壮的士兵行进在古老的山寨中,他们身上的铁甲在惨白的阳光下闪着耀眼的光,染满征尘的旌旗在凛冽的山风中猎猎招展。那些衣衫褴褛的山民围观着奏凯而还的队伍。他们面无表情,冷眼旁观。队伍终于渐行渐远。山民们也逶迤散去。
  • 消失的宝剑

    消失的宝剑

    一阵大浪忽地涌起,将一艘船打得一侧,险些翻倒。这样的暴风雨夜里,寻常的船只早就躲在港口避风浪了,谁也不知道这船为什么在这样的天气出海。这其实并不是一艘小船,是闽地所造的福船式样。福船向来以巨大闻名,国初三宝太监下西洋,所乘的宝船也是依照福船图纸。这艘船虽然没有宝船那样庞大无匹,但船体长度已然超过了六丈,已是难得一见的巨舰了。只是再大的船,在大海中还是和一粒粟米没什么两样,一忽儿被抛上浪尖,一忽儿又沉入浪底。若非这船造得极其坚固,只怕早已散架。