152 Mr Ellis's Description of the Volcano of Kirauea. 



or indurated streams of lava, and whose summit might have 

 resembled the rim of a huge cauldron formed by a rugged 

 wall of scoria. Instead of this, however, we found ourselves 

 on the edge of a steep precipice, with a vast plain before us 

 fifteen or sixteen miles in circumference, and sunk from 200 

 to 400 feet below its original level. The surface of this plain 

 was uneven, and strewed over with huge stones and volcanic 

 rocks, and in the centre of it was the great crater at the dis- 

 tance of one mile and a half from the spot where we stood. 

 Walking on to the north end of the ridge, a place was found 

 where the descent to the plain seemed practicable, but it was 

 difficult and dangerous. After walking some distance over 

 the sunken plain, which often sounded hollow beneath our 

 feet, we at last came to the edge of the great crater, where a 

 most sublime and appalling spectacle presented itself. Before 

 us yawned an immense gulf like a crescent about two miles in 

 length from N. E. to S. W., and the northern parts of it were 

 one vast flood of burning matter boiling with tremendous agi- 

 tation. Fifty-one conical islands, varying in form and size, 

 and with each a crater, rose either round the edge, or from 

 the surface of the burning lake. Twenty-two emitted co- 

 lumns of grey smoke, or pyramids of brilliant flame, and se- 

 veral of those, at the same time, vomited streams of lava, 

 which rolled in blazing torrents down their black indented 

 sides into the boiling mass below. These conical craters led 

 us to infer that the cauldron of lava before us did not form 

 the focus of the volcano ; — that the mass of melted lava was 

 comparatively shallow, and that the basin in which it was con- 

 tained was separated by a stratum of solid matter from the 

 great volcanic abyss, which discharged its contents through 

 these craters into the upper reservoir. The sides of the gulf 

 before us, though composed of ancient lava, were perpendicu- 

 lar for about 400 feet, and rose from a wide horizontal ledge 

 of solid black lava of irregular breadth, but extending com- 

 pletely round. Beneath this ledge the sides sloped gradually 

 towards the burning lake, which was, as nearly as we could 

 judge, 300 or 400 feet lower. It was evident that, the large 

 crater had been recently filled with liquid lava up to this 

 black ledge, and had by some subterraneous canal emptied it- 



