406 W. T. BRIGHAM ON THE VOLCANIC PHENOMENA 



of the dome yielding before the pressure of the enclosed lava, and quietly allowing the 

 passage of the molten torrent to the sea. Ellis's description is as follows : — 



"Immediately before us yawned an immense gulf, in the form of a crescent, upwards of 

 two miles in length, about a mile across, and apparently eight hundred feet deep. The 

 bottom was filled with lava, and the south-west and northern parts of it were one vast flood 

 of liquid fire, in a state of terrific ebullition, rolling to and fro its fiery surge and flaming 

 billows. Fifty-one craters of varied form and size rose like so many conical islands from the 

 surface of the burning lake. Twenty-two constantly emitted columns of gray smoke, or 

 pyramids of brilliant flame, and many of them at the same time vomited from their ignited 

 mouths streams of florid lava which rolled in blazing torrents down their black indented 

 sides into the boiling mass below. 



" The sides of the gulf before us were perpendicular for about four hundred feet, when 

 there was a wide horizontal ledsce of solid black lava of irregular breadth, but extending 

 completely round. Beneath this black ledge the sides sloped to the centre, which was, as 

 nearly as we could judge, three or four hundred feet lower. It was evident that the crater 

 had been recently filled with liquid lava up to this black ledge, and had, by some subter- 

 ranean canal, emptied itself into the sea, or inundated the low land on the shore. . . . 

 Between nine and ten [in the evening], the dark clouds and heavy fog that since the setting 

 of the sun had hung over the volcano gradually cleared away. The agitated mass of liquid 

 lava, like a flood of melted metal, raged with tumultuous whirl. The lively flame that danced 

 over its undulating surface tinged with sulphureous blue, or glowing with mineral red, cast 

 a broad glare of dazzling light on the indented sides of the insulated craters whose bellow- 

 ing mouths, amidst rising flames, shot up at frequent intervals with loudest detonations, 

 spherical masses of fusing lava, or bright ignited stones. . . . [In passing along the eastern 

 edge of the crater], we entered several small craters that had been in vigorous action but a 

 short period before, marks of very recent fusion presenting themselves on every side. Their 

 size and height was various, and many which from the top had appeared insignificant as 

 mole hills, we now found to be twelve or twenty feet high. The outsides were composed 

 of bright shining lava, heaped up in piles of most singular form. The lava on the inside 

 was of a light or dark-red color with a glazed surface, and in several places, where the heat 

 had evidently been intense, we saw a deposit of small and beautifully white crystals. . . . 

 In the neighborhood we saw several large rocks of a dark gray color weighing probably 

 from one to four or five tons, which although they did not bear any marks of fire, must have 

 been ejected from the great crater during some violent eruption, as the surrounding rocks 

 in every direction presented a very different appearance. They were hard, and exhibited, 

 when fractured, a glimmering and uneven surface. 1 ... As we travelled on from this spot, 

 we unexpectedly came to another deep crater, nearly half as large as the former. The 

 native name of it is Kilauea-iki, or Little Kilauea. It is separated from the large crater by 

 an isthmus nearly one hundred yards wide. Its sides were covered with trees and shrubs, 

 but the bottom was filled with lava, either fluid or scarcely cold, and probably supplied by 

 the great crater, as the trees on its sides showed that it had remained many years in a state 

 of quiescence." 2 



The next year Kilauea is described as follows : — 



1 Similar rocks are now found in ridges through the crater. Their composition is given below. 



2 Rev. William Ellis, he. cit. p. 224. 



