THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 235 



mips covered with a fine duft like emery, near an inch V 79 * 



r 1 ' June. 



thick. The air, at the fame time, continued loaded and ' f — ' 



darkened with this fubftance ; and, toward the 'volcano 

 mountain, fituated to the North of the harbour, it was fo 

 thick and black, that we could not diftinguifh. the body of 

 the hill. About twelve o'clock, and, during the afternoon, 

 the explofions became Louder, and were followed by fhowers 

 of cinders, which were, in general, about the fize of peas ; 

 though many w r ere picked up from the deck larger than 

 a hazel nut. Along with the cinders fell feveral fmall flones, 

 which had undergone no change from the action of fire. In 

 the evening we had dreadful thunder and lightning, which, 

 with the darknefs of the atmofphere, and the fulphureous 

 fmell of the air, produced altogether a moft awful and terri- 

 fying effect. We were, at this time, about eight leagues 

 from the foot of the mountain. 



On the i6ch, at day-light, we again weighed anchor, and Wednef. 16. 

 flood out of the bay; but the ebb tide fetting acrofs the paf- 

 lage upon the Eaftern fhore, and the wind falling, we were 

 driven very near the Three Needle Rocks, which lie on that 

 fide of the entrance, and obliged to hoift out the boats, in 

 order to tow the (hips clear of them. At noon we were two 

 leagues from the land, and had foundings with forty- 

 three fathoms of line, over a bottom of fmall ftones, of the 

 fame kind with thofe which fell on our decks, after the 

 eruption of the volcano ; but whether they had been left 

 there by the laft, or by fome former eruptions, we were not 

 able to determine. 



The afpect of the country was now very different from 

 what it had been on our firft arrival. The fnow, excepting 

 what remained on the tops of fome very high mountains, had 



H h 2 difappeared ; 



