EXPLORATION OP PEEL ISLAND. 209 



south end of Port Lloyd, by the way of the sea, in a canoe, piloted by the Otaheitan. The rest 

 went by land, attempting to return by the same route as that they had come. The path was 

 not easily found, however, and the explorers suffered another hard experience in the forest and 

 over the rough crags, where they were nearly lost among the entangled undergrowth and much 

 battered by the irregularity of the ground. Another member of the party gave out, but was 

 brought along by main force, and having been deposited in a safe place on the summit of the 

 ridge, under the care of one of the men, the rest pushed on ; and having reached the Kanaka 

 settlement, at the south end of Port Lloyd, took their station on a clifl' whicli over]o(dved the bay, 

 and whence the great hull of the Susquehanna could be barely discovered in the surrounding 

 darkness. Firing a volley with their guns, as a signal, they were soon answered by the arrival 

 of the ship's cutter, and having sent back for the tired member of the party, they all pulled 

 ofi'for the steamer, where they arrived at ten o'clock at night, sorely bruised and fatigued bj^ the 

 hard day's work. The other party, under the command of the assistant surgeon, returned about 

 the same time, and tlie result of the observations, as reported by Dr. Fahs, is now recorded. 



The volcanic origin of the island was clearly manifest from the existence of ancient craters. Trap 

 rock, intermingled with amygdaloid and green stone, formed the basis of the island, as it did the 

 loftiest peaks of the hills ; basaltic dykes were observed to pass through beds of sand, scoria, and 

 cinders, and strata of old lava were traced along the seacoast and in other parts where deep 

 sections of rock were exposed. A sulphur spring, characterized by the usual strong odor and 

 taste of sulphuretted hydrogen gas, was discovered issuing from one of the ravines, and iron 

 pyrites abounded in many places. The vegetation, too, was not such as is generally found in 

 volcanic countries of the same latitude as the Benin Islands. It would appear that Port Lloyd 

 was at one time the crater of an active volcano, from which the surrounding hills had been 

 thrown up, while the present entrance to the harbor was formed by a deep fissure in the side of 

 the cone, through which a torrent of lava had poured into tlie sea, leaving, after its subsidence, 

 a space into which the waters subsequently were emptied, bringing with them their usual 

 deposits^ which, together with the coral formation, now forms the bottom and sides of the harbor. 



The surface of the island is varied. Plains extend from the basis of the hills toward the sea- 

 shore, and are composed of a dark vegetable mould, sometimes five or six feet deep, intermixed 

 with the shells of marine animals and the detritus of trap rock, and spread upon a founda- 

 tion of coral. These plains are highly fertile, and those now cultivated produce a rich harvest 

 of sweet potatoes of immense size, Indian corn^ sugar-cane of wonderfully vigorous growth and 

 excellent quality, yams, taro, melons, and the ordinary products of a kitchen garden. The 

 Irish potato has been tried, but not sufficiently long to form an estimate of its probable success. 

 The plains on the bay only have been cultivated as yet, but there is every reason to believe that the 

 others are equally fertile, and might be made to yield sufficientlj^ to support a large population. 



The hills rise in some places by a gentle slope from the plains, and in others abruptly by 

 steep ascents, which give them the appearance of terraces rising one above the other. At tlie 

 head of the bay two prominent peaks rise, which are known by the name of the Paps, one of 

 which reaches the elevation of a thousand feet, and the other eleven hundred. They are clearly 

 seen on entering the harbor, and are important guides to the navigator. Tlie springs in the 

 northern half of the island, which was the fiehl of survey now reviewed, are few, two only of 

 which run constantly with a supply of pure drinking water. In the valleys there are several 

 others, but they are so brackish or so frequently dry that they cannot be relied upon as sources 

 27 J 



