and the other Azores. _ 257 
‘Having reached a field between three and four miles 
N. West from the city. we discovered the entrance to the 
cavern. It isa fissure in the rocks, which here rise only a 
few feet from the surface, and is about wide enough to ad- 
mit two persons abreast. The bottom, when viewed from 
the entrance, for some yards formed a gently inclined plane ; 
but as we proceeded the rocks spread out on both sides, 
and we soon found ourselves in a spacious apartment, 
floor of which was heaped with huge fragments of lava that 
had fallen from above, and over which our progress was, for 
some distance difficult and rather dangerous. At the dis- 
gerous passage, and, by leaping from rock to rock, we at 
length reached the bottom. 
“The heighth of the precipice was probably not less 
than thirty feet; and as the torches, with which we were 
armed, served to illuminate the cavern but feebly, we di- 
rected our guide to kindle a fire. From the sound of our 
voices, we were of opinion that this apartment was of great 
extent, and the strongest light we could obtain, did not 
enable us to discern the roof, 
* ‘The light of the fire strongly contrasted with, and gradu- 
ally lost in the surrounding darkness, produced a very pic- 
turesque effect, which was greatly heightened by the situa- 
tion of our party, some of whom were obscurely seen stand- 
ing upon the huge fragments of rocks, while others were 
passing and repassing in various directions, exploring a pas- 
sage to the recesses of the cavern. Having groped about 
for some time, over and among rocks ofall sizes and shapes, 
which were piled on each other in every possible manner, 
we at length discovered, on our right, a chasm about two 
feet in width. Looking into it from above, the space be- 
ow appeared to enlarge, and the lava on which we stood, 
to form the roof of another cavern beneath us.”——* The 
