THROUGH the kindness of M. Parrayon, captain of the French man-of-war Dayot, I have received a large coral of the fungia tribe, which was yesterday found attached to the bottom of his ship as the copper was being cleaned by native divers. The following is the history of the occurrence. The Dayot entered the tropical waters of the South Pacific about seven months ago, coming directly from the coast of Chile. She visited some of the islands, but made no long stay in harbour until she reached Mauga Reva (Gambia Islands), where she remained for two months in the still waters of a coral basin. On entering the basin she touched the reef slightly, and without sustaining any damage. From Mauga Reva she sailed to Tahiti, where she now lies.