440 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION E. 



S.—VOLCANIC PHENOMENA IN SAMOA IN 1866. 



By DR. FRASER, Sydney. 



The MSS. of the late Rev. Thos. Powell, who was for many 

 years a missionary in Samoa, contain a contemporary account 

 of the volcanic disturbances there in the year 1866. This 

 account was furnished by Taunga, a native teacher. 



1866 : Aug. 25. — There set in this day a continual rain, 

 with a strong southerly wind. This continued till the end of 

 the month. 



Sept. 7. — There was a very severe shock of an earth- 

 quake, which terrified the people. 



Sept. 13. — The sea was swollen up like a rock between 

 Tau and Olosenga, and the waves broke furiously around the 

 spot. The people thought this was caused by fire. At mid- 

 day mud was sent up as from a spring. It was now 

 certain that a volcano was foi-ming. In the afternoon the 

 ebullitions were much more violent, and continued till next 

 day, at intervals of about an hour and a half. 



Sept. 14. — They now became more frequent, coming 

 every hour, and increasing so much in frequency that they 

 occurred every four or five minutes, 



Sept. 15. — The frequency of the eruptions was now 

 at the rate of 49 in an hour up till noon, after which time 

 they came every half minute, the flame flashing through the 

 clouds of mud, smoke, and stones. The jjeople were much 

 alarmed by this aspect of things. The sea-water got warm ; 

 great quantities of fish were seen on the surface, of which 

 many were floated to the shore dead, and among them some 

 unknown monsters and fish of the deep. Men gathered 

 quantities of the fish, and the land stank with them. 



Sept. 16 (Sunday). — To-day the eruptions were more 

 violent than ever, and had increased so much in volume and 

 frequency that they were now about ten in a minute, and sent 

 up such quantities of steam and smoke as quite to hide 

 Olosenga from view ; the sea broke fearfully all round the 

 island ; the smoke rose high and dense ; masses of dirt were 

 whitened in the air like floating clouds of slacked lime ; all 

 accompanied by a tremendous noise like air rushing from 

 below, and in its contention with the sea sending up clouds 

 of smoke. 



Taunga says that he now began to think the group would 

 be rendered uninhabitable; that when the southerly and 



