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June 23 1875

I cannot recommend Mr Powell's paper to be printed in extenso. 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. 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.

A new plan moreover, of this island is given on the authority of Captain Turpie. The author speaks of a swamp as existing here, covered with scoriae, & 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.