Baker. — New Volcano in the Friendly Islands. 45 



thus we were permitted to see the various forms through which 

 it passed, from that of a submarine volcano, with its dashing 

 boiling stream, to that of a volcanic island ejecting its heated 

 stones, mud, cinders, &c. 



This volcano forms one of the linear series of volcanoes which 

 run in a direct line from the Culibras to Fonualei, bearing N. by 

 E. i E. and S. by W. i W. magnetic. 



There are no less than six volcanoes in this belt, including 

 the recent one, and all in the Friendly Islands Group, viz. : 

 Sandfly Eock, Tofua, Kao, Wesley Eock, Late, and Fonualei. 

 This is the order in which they stand from the recent volcano. 

 Of these Kao is the highest, and is 5,000 feet in height, but has 

 not been active for many years ; its crater is on the N.E. side, 

 and the shape of the island is that of a large cone. The next in 

 height is that of Tofua, a large razor-back island, with the crater 

 on the N.E. side. This is 2,800 feet in height, and has been 

 slightly in action only a few months ago. The next is Late, 

 1,790 feet, and is still in action. Then comes Fonualei, which 

 in some parts is about 600 feet, but has not been active for more 

 than thn-ty years. The last volcano is that of Wesley Eock, 

 which sprang up as a submarine volcano in the year 1858, and 

 was discovered by the John Wesley ; it is now about 400 feet, 

 and occasionally very active. It is somewhat singular, and 

 perhaps worthy of notice, that the mouth of all the craters of 

 these volcanoes has an easterly aspect. But whether the pre- 

 sent volcano has burst out on a part of the Culibras reef we are 

 not prepared at present to say, the Culibras reef being marked 

 on our chart more to the S.W. And a circumstance of con- 

 siderable interest in connection with the Culibras reef is that it 

 has fallen and risen several times during the last few years : at 

 times a long reef being distinctly visible above the water, and at 

 other times not a trace of it to be found ; such is the statement 

 of authorities who went with the express purpose of ascertaining 

 and locating its position ; and on one occasion, after the lapse of 

 a year or so, the reef was found to have shifted a distance of no 

 less than three miles. The position of the present volcano is 

 N.N.W. from Nukualofa, 48 miles ; from Huga Tonga, N.N.W. 

 £ W., 14 miles; from Huga Haapai, N. by W. f W., 15 miles ; 

 and its latitude and longitude, from bearings taken on board the 

 Sandfly while abreast of the volcano, are : Latitude, 20° 21' S. ; 

 longitude, 175° 23' W. 



Since writing the above account, Captain Lane, of the Maile, 

 who visited the volcano thirty-two hours after we left it, states 

 that in his opinion the volcanic action is dying out, that the 

 upheavals are becoming in a marked manner less in height, that 

 the largest he saw was only about 5,000 feet high, and that the 

 island did not appear much more than a mile in length ; but 

 others of his ship's crew give two and a-half to three and a-half 



