OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 407 



" From the time we arrived within two miles of the crater, we had the smoke 

 arising from it directly in our faces, attended with a sulphureous stench. The wind 

 was very strong and brought along with it fine particles of sand so that I found it necessary 

 to draw my hat as close as possible over my eyes in order to preserve them, carrying my 

 head at the same time pretty low. The travelling was also difficult from the sand which 

 covered the smooth stones on which we had before walked. Into this sand our feet sunk 

 six or eight inches at every step. We however sometimes found the sand sufficiently hard 

 and compact to bear us up. . . . We reached several large crevices from which smoke was 

 issuing at a distance of five miles from the crater. Continuing to advance towards the 

 crater our attention was arrested by a hissing noise like that of the blowing of a furnace, 

 except that it was irregular, the noise being sometimes very low, and then again exceedingly 

 loud. The smoke in which we were now enveloped became so dense that we could see only 

 a small distance before us. . . . We had made the volcano at the south-west end, and we now 

 proceeded round the eastern side hoping to be soon freed from the steam or smoke, which, 

 being condensed by the wind, was falling upon us like rain. ... At the distance of two 

 hundred and fifty or three hundred feet below us was a level platform which appeared to 

 have been formed by the falling in of the bank of the crater. This platform, I believe, ex- 

 tends nearly around the whole of the crater which is supposed to be nearly six miles in 

 circumference. I had little difficulty in descending to this platform. From the side where I 

 descended it extends nearly fifteen rods towards the centre of the crater, where there is 

 another descent of two hundred and fifty or three hundred feet. Down this I proceeded, 

 though not without danger, it being in most places perpendicular, and nearly so where I 

 descended. Many of the stones also on which it was necessary to step were loose. ... I 

 had now reached the ancient bed of the volcano, having, as I supposed, descended six hun- 

 dred feet. The surface of the lava was smooth though not level, sometimes rising in heaps 

 like cocks of hay, and broken by innumerable fissures crossing each other in various direc- 

 tions. 



" This lava was of a deep black color, exceedingly porous, and as light as a pumice-stone. 

 The steam was constantly issuing from the crevices, and was so hot that I could not hold 

 my hand in it for a moment. On this bed of lava I walked eight or ten rods towards the 

 centre of the crater, when I came to another descent of two or three hundred feet, the 

 volcano having sunk thus far below its ancient bed. The lower bed appeared much like 

 the one on which I stood, but from various parts of it not only smoke, but flames of fire were 

 issuing. The appearance of these small craters where the fire was bursting out, attended 

 with a horrid noise, was indeed awfully grand, but I was disappointed in not finding this 

 lower bed a mass of liquid fire. About a year since, when several of our brethren were 

 making the tour of this island, this lower bed of lava was in a liquid state. The surface has 

 now become hard, and I have no doubt would have supported my weight could I have de- 

 scended to it. This I wished to do, but I looked in vain for a place where I might descend, 

 the sides being in most places shelving over or perpendicular. ... I proceeded along to the 

 base of the sulphur mountain to collect specimens to carry home. It was in those places 

 from which the smoke was issuing that I found the sulphur most pure, and formed into 

 beautiful crystals." 1 



1 The writer has been permitted to extract the above ac- connected with the American Mission, and visited the volcano 

 count from an unpublished Journal of E. Loomis, who was on the 16th of June 1824. 



