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•who had recently, under favourable circumstances, 

 visited the Volcano. Barren Island, which is 

 only a mile in diameter, rises abruptly from the 

 sea, -which is so deep around it that anchorage 

 is impossible. The island can only be approached 

 •when the -wind is from the N.E. Near the shore 

 the -water is quite warm, from a spring, which at 

 low-water is so hot as to render an approach to 

 it dangerous. On landing, they entered a valley 

 about half a mile long, down which the lava 

 had flowed to the sea. This lava, which had a 

 black coke-like appearance, and varied in size 

 fix)m that of a Dutch cheese to some twenty 

 times that size, was lying on a bed of cinders. 

 Walking along the edge of the lava they 

 came to the crater, from which smoke was 

 issuing. The original rock seemed to have been 

 riven asunder and to have left a circular amphi- 

 theatre, half a mile across and 700 feet high. 

 The lava and cinderg poured out had formed a 

 symmetrical cone, with a slope of an angle 45°, 

 and 1,000 fe^t above the sea level. At first an 

 ascent seemed impossible, owing to the slippery 

 nature of the large stones which lay upon a sub- 

 stratum of cinders. It was only by climbing on 

 hands and knees that any progress was made. 

 When they reached the ravines worn by the 

 rains, the ascent became better and firmer. They 

 next reached a portion, white with burnt sulphur, 

 which was full of holes, and seemed to shake 

 under their feet. Here sulphurous vapour was 

 rising, and the impression made on the mind was 

 that the crust would give way and they should 

 fall into the furnace beneath them. This state 

 ef things coutiaued mntil eix out of & party of 



