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water, and two islands were formed as tlie lava cooled after flowing 

 into the sea, for two weeks. In 1843 a great eruption took 

 place from the top of Mauna Loa itself. The melted lava ran 

 down the northern side of the mountain for 30 miles, dividing 

 itself into two streams from one to three miles broad. I owe 

 these details to the Rev. Mr. Coan of Hilo, who, with much danger 

 to himself, ascended the mountain and traced the stream. 



In 1832 an erruption again took place at the summit of Mauna 

 Loa, which threw up an immense fiery column of incandescent 

 scoria?, and infiamed gases to the height of about oOO feet, some 

 say 10()0 feet, and again poured forth a flood of lava. Mr. 

 Coan this time also visited the mountain. 



Many former erui)tions have been I'ecorded, and an account of 

 them may be found in the journals of the Geological Society, 

 Vol. 12. 



I am not aware if besides Mr. Coan and myself, many, or in- 

 deed any, other pei'sons have ascended Mauna Loa proper 

 excepting Commodore Wilkes, of the American Expedition, who 

 went up with a large body of natives and sailoi's, established 

 a hospital on the side for those who suftered in the attempt, 

 made some interesting observations, and returned after an absence 

 of some duration to Hilo. A detailed account of his expedition 

 may be found in the narrative of his voyage ; he seems to have 

 considered the difficulties of the andertaking much greater than a 

 person more accustomed to bush work and mountain travelling 

 would have found them. The mountain was not in eruption 

 when he ascended. 



Kilauea, 4104 feet above the sea, is easily reached ; it has been 

 several times described, I think first by Commodore Byron, after 

 whom Byron's Bay is named. 



I now come to the great eruption of 1855, which I was sofortiniate 

 as to witness. On the 11th of August 1855, the lava burst forth 

 at about 12,000 feet above the sea level on the very crest of the 

 range, but about 1000 feet below its highest part, and on the 

 northern side ; it was rather remarkable for the enormous and un- 

 precedented flow of lava than for any projection of infiamed 

 substances into the air, though its light illumined the horizon for 

 many miles, and the coknnn of fire or its refiection was said by 

 some to have been at first apiparently 500 feet high. The Rev. 

 Mr. Coan again made the ascent and visited it. At the commence- 

 ment the lava ran northwards with great rapidity into the upland 

 valley that divides the summit of Mauna Loa from that of ]\Iauiui 

 Kea ; then taking an easterly direction, it poured down towards Hilo. 

 The main stream was in many places about three miles wide, but as 

 it reached comparatively level country, with forests, jinigles, swamps, 

 and streams, it spread to a width of five or six miles and flowed 

 more slowly. At the time we left Hawaii (November 23rd, 1855), 

 it had been gaining about a mile a week, but daring the last week 

 it had been making a somewhat gi-eater progress. The whole 

 length of the flow of the lava, including bends in its course, 

 was then computed by residents at considerably more than 50 miles 

 from the craters ; I should myself put it at about 35 miles as the 

 crow flies, not allowing for sinuosities. It was then only about 8 



