Lake of Masaya 265 
lake and covered the old precipitous cliffs on that side are 
plainly visible. The cliff encircles the whole lake, excepting 
where concealed by the recent lava overflow. At the time 
of the conquest of Nicaragua, in 1522, the volcano of Masaya 
was in a state of activity. The credulous Spaniards believed 
the fiery molten mass at the bottom of the crater to be liquid 
gold, and through great danger, amongst the smoke and 
fumes, were lowered down it until, with an iron chain and 
bucket, they could reach the fiery mass, when the bucket 
was melted from the chain, and the intrepid explorers were 
Pen 860? yf iO. 
SAC Hea ie sie Gis” 
3 Pa Bal i Oe . 
U/ater Level | 
STRATA AT MASAYA 
drawn up half dead from amongst the fumes. Since then 
there have been several eruptions; and so late as 1857 it 
threw out volumes of smoke, and probably ashes. The 
whole country is volcanic. For scores of miles every rock is 
trachytic, and the earth decomposing tufas. 
The lake itself is like an immense crater with its per- 
pendicular cliffs. I spent some time in making an accurate 
section of the strata as exposed in the rocky paths leading 
down to the water. The whole section exposed is 348 feet 
in height from the surface of the lake to the top of the un- 
dulating plain on which Masaya is built. This measurement 
was kindly given to me by Mr. Simpson, an enterprising 
American engineer engaged in erecting a steam-pump to 
