42 Transactions. — Miscellaneous, 



backed by clouds of intense darkness formed of dust and ashes 

 mixed with watery vapour, which the wind was carrying down 

 for miles on the distant horizon. As the heavier matter kept 

 continually falling, it gradually raised in height the new-made 

 island ; and as the cloud of pulverulent matter became thinner 

 and thinner at its extremities, it assumed a light brown colour, 

 forming clouds of volcanic dust which, no doubt, would be car- 

 ried thousands of miles away, and repeat (if the theory be a 

 correct one) the red sunsets of the volcanic action of last year in 

 distant parts of the Pacific : and, strange to say, on the third and 

 fourth evenings after the bursting out of the volcano, the same 

 red sunsets as were seen last year were again noticed. The size 

 of this mass of volcanic matter was immense ; at one time it 

 could not have been less than some thousands of feet at its base, 

 and, piercing into the air to a great height, was distinctly seen 

 thousands of feet above the clouds, and at one time a streak of 

 sable colour passing across its centre made the whole mass pre- 

 sent a most picturesque and grand sight. This great mass of 

 accumulated gas, steam, and volcanic substance, was continually 

 augmented by fresh explosions, bursting forth from three large 

 and a number of minor jets. These jets, and especially the 

 largest one, would suddenly rise forth like a solid wall of dark 

 matter, in shape something similar to the three fingers of a 

 man's hand, but always of a more or less conical form, and at 

 times bearing a striking resemblance to the Pinus pinaster 

 and Pinus Sylvester, thus forcibly calling to mind the historical 

 stone-pine of Pliny the Younger, mentioned in his letter to his 

 friend, the historian Tacitus, in connection with the eruption of 

 Mount Vesuvius in a.d. 79. The black clouds were small at 

 first, and only appeared at considerable intervals, and gra- 

 dually became larger and more frequent, 1^ to 3^ minutes 

 expiring between each eruption, but still retaining their perpen- 

 dicular character ; and, after rising to a considerable height, 

 their sides would sometimes fall quickly into the sea, causing 

 clouds of steam to arise, whilst the centre would topple over and 

 form itself into clouds of white gaseous and vapourous matter, 

 presenting itself like a huge bunch of Prince of Wales' feathers ; 

 and what was most singular, many of these dark cauliflower 

 eruptions had a spiral movement, always turning in the same 

 direction from north round by the west to the south, and right 

 against the wind. As the shades of evening approached and 

 the night came on, the matter discharged by the volcano no 

 longer appeared a huge mass of clouds of snowy whiteness but 

 in the form of clouds of greyish matter and sooty blackness. 

 We were somewhat disappointed in there being no signs of 

 fire ; many watched during a great part of the night, anxious to 

 catch the first glimpse of the lurid flame, but were doomed to 

 disappointment. 



