Phillips. — On the Volcanoes of the Pacific. 535 



on the way, and at night thirty-one shocks were distinctly 

 felt in seven hours forty minutes on board the ship, one at 

 half-past 2 a.m. being particularly severe. At 7 a.m. on the 

 18th October we returned to Ambrym, dust still falling. A 

 great portion of the cliff at Dip Point had fallen in the sea, 

 and all along the shore to the eastward continuous; clouds 

 of dust were rising, and landslips occurred. We anchored at 

 Rannon on the 20fch October, and re-embarked all the natives, 

 and landed them at Dip Point, all present danger being 

 removed. Dust was falling heavier than ever, but of a 

 lighter colour and finer description. Everything on shore 

 was covered with a deposit of from ^in. to fin., the land- 

 scape being of one uniform dull slate-colour, and the ship was 

 shortly a grey mass. Landed and proceeded over the hills 

 until the lava stream was reached. Although cooled down, 

 it was still proceeding at some 4 ft. or 5 ft. an hour in the 

 direction of Banlag, on the south-east. Owing, however, to 

 the thickness of the atmosphere, it was impossible to get any 

 views of what was happening. Proceeded at 3 p.m. to Port 

 Sandwich." 



Port Sandwich must not be confused with Sandwich Island, 

 or Vate, in the New Hebrides, as Ambrym Island is only 

 twelve miles from Port Sandwich. 



I might here refer to the Rev A. W. Murray's visit to 

 Ambrym, hi the "John Williams," in September, 1861. He 

 says, " There is an active volcano in the interior of the island, 

 with the smoke of which the mountains in the neighbourhood 

 are more or less enveloped. We were afterwards told by 

 traders that the volcano is not on the island itself, but on a 

 small island close to it — so close that seen from the opposite 

 side it seemed part of the mainland." 



Tanna is 320 miles south of i\.mbrym, showing the wide 

 range of volcanic action in this one remarkable group. 



The order of the most important islands in the New 

 Hebrides Group, south to north, is as follows : Aneiteum, 

 Tanna (containing Port Resolution), and Futuna, then Erro- 

 mango. Sandwich Island (containing Vila Harbour and 

 Havannah Harbour), Api, MallicoUo (containing Sandwich 

 Harbour), Ambrym, Pentecost or Whitsuntide Island, St. Bar- 

 tholomew, Espiritu Santo, Lepers, and Aurora Island. 



Having taken Ambrym first, I will finish it. Ambrym 

 Island really occupies a position north of centre in the group 

 (latitude 16° 20' S., longitude 168° 17' E.). The island rises 

 abruptly from the sea, extending some seventeen miles north 

 and south by twenty-two miles east and west. Its hills are 

 densely covered with vegetation. The height of Mount 

 Marum, which is generally an active volcano, is 3,500 ft., 

 and of Mount Tuiyo, on the northern end of the island. 



