PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 301 



land, this extraordinary basin is said to abound in 

 fresh-water eels of an enormous size. On the mar- 

 gin of the basin, blocks of columnar basalt, with fge! 

 porous and vesicular lava, were heaped in great 

 confusion. 



On the eastern side, Mr. Belcher found great 

 quantities of vesicular shaggy lava, which led him 

 to suppose a volcano had existed in the vicinity ; 

 and he remarks that many persons who have visited 

 the lake were of opinion that it was a crater filled 

 with water. In other parts he collected some very 

 perfect crystals of basaltic hornblend, and found one 

 or two of olivine on the surface of the vesicular lava. 

 The lake appeared to be falling rapidly when they 

 saw it ; at a place where Mr. Belcher was obliged to 

 cross it there were eighteen inches of water ; some 

 time after, at sunset, there were only six inches ; 

 and the next morning the rock was dry. On exa- 

 mining this place he noticed a large chasm beneath 

 a rock, through which it appeared the water had 

 found an outlet ; and favoured the opinion of the 

 basin being caused by an avalanche. 



The morai is the same as that exhibited in the 

 voyage of Mr. Wilson, and mentioned by Captain 

 Cook. Its measurements have been given in those 

 voyages, and perhaps more correctly than the pre- 

 sent dilapidated state of the edifice admits. But its 

 history is interesting, as it was told by a descendant 

 of the chief who erected it, and whose family, as 

 well as himself, were priests of the god to whom it 

 was consecrated. It differs in several respects from 

 the account given by Mr. Ellis ; but I insert it as 

 related to Mr. Belcher by the chief. 



The great-grandfather of Taati, the present chief, 



