90 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF QUEENSLAND. 
hav occurred in a submarine crater, now known as Vulean 
Island, on the western side of the harbour, somewhere 
about the year 1838. The latest crater is a cinder-cone 
formed on the margin of the South Daughter Crater. This 
was apparently formed and was violently active in the 
eruption of 1878. A full account of the eruption is given 
by the-veteran Methodist missionary, Dr. Brown, in his 
‘‘Reminiseenees.’’ The following facts may be noted :— 
The eruption was preceded by very viclent earthquakes 
accompanied by tidal waves which destroyed a large part 
of the shore-line. Clouds ofssteam arose from the water in 
a line from Matupit Island to Vulean Island (text- 
fig. 2). When the submarine crater at Vulcan Island broke 
out, the steam-clouds across the harbour cleared. Finally 
the crater on the South Daughter (Cinder Cone) burst out 
with terrific force, throwing up material to a great height 
and forming a column of smoke upwards of 4,000 ft. high. 
These explosive erupticns continued for some weeks. There 
was no discharge of lava, but great blocks of pumice and 
rock (consolidated ash) with yellow and black ash were 
continuously thrown out. St. George’s Channel was a 
floating field of large blocks of pumice, and it is said no 
salt water was visible. The whole coast-line adjacent to the 
area was burnt out, and the waters of Blanche Bay and 
Simpsonhaven were at scalding heat throughout. All 
submarine life was destroyed. 
The successive eruptions of this svstem have built up 
vast beds of ash which dominate the local topography for a 
‘adius of many miles. There is no sign anywhere, as far as 
the writer could see, in a radius of twenty miles, of the 
original topography. 
Since 1878 there have been no further eruptions of 
this system, though many severe earthquakes have occurred. 
IV.—PRESENT CONDITIONS. 
The present conditions in the Rabaul district, as 
observed by the writer about four years ago, will be 
deseribed under the following heads :— 
(1) Craters ; 
(41) Fumaroles; 
(i411) Submarine activity ; 
(iv) Ashbeds; 
(v) Seismic features. 
