1897-98-] Corals and Coral-islands. 321 



however, at the Spanish Court, and a few years afterwards he 

 died — disheartened and disappointed. 



The French navigator, Bougainville, was the next to visit 

 Santo and the neighbouring island of Malekula ; but the 

 greatest honour was reserved for our own Captain James Cook, 

 who in the year 1774 spent forty-six days in the group, and 

 discovered the other islands, some thirty in all. When these 

 were set down on his chart, he saw, or fancied he saw, a 

 resemblance to the islands on the west coast of Scotland, and 

 accordingly felt himself entitled to give the group its present 

 name — " The New Hebrides." 



For the most part these islands are of volcanic origin : 

 there are many indications of burnt-out craters ; and large 

 active volcanoes still exist on Tanna, Ambrim, and Lopevi. 

 The flare in the sky from the Tanna volcano can be seen some 

 sixty miles off, like a great lighthouse. Since Captain Cook's 

 day, and probably from loDg before that time, the explosions 

 have taken place without intermission every four or five 

 minutes, the steam being generated from a lake of water a 

 short distance away from the mouth of the crater. Some 

 twelve years ago, along with a party, I ascended the volcanic 

 cone on the weather side, and approaching as near the edge 

 as possible in the intervals between the explosions, we saw 

 the molten lava at a depth of five or six hundred feet, like 

 the molten metal from a great blast-furnace. From side to 

 side the crater would be a rifle-shot across. There were five 

 vents, and when the explosions took place hundreds of tons of 

 scoriae were sent high into the air with a fearful roar and 

 rumbling underground noise, fit to strike terror into the 

 stoutest heart. The sulphur fumes are very strong and 

 almost suffocating on the mountain-sides, proceeding from fis- 

 sures here and there at irregular intervals. Many shiploads of 

 sulphur have been taken away from a large deposit near the 

 sea-shore. Earthquakes are of common occurrence in this 

 region, and are sometimes accompanied by a tidal wave which 

 carries all before it with irresistible force. After one such 

 wave we noticed marks on the trees near the sea-shore seven 

 feet from the ground. Quantities of dead fish and dioris of 

 every kind were left on our mission station, to be cleared 

 away next morning. 



