~ 
~ Volcanic Character of the Island of Hawai. il 
its giddy verge, they could distinguish the course of two prin- 
cipal streams, that had issued from it, in the great eruption 
about the year 1900. One had taken a direction nearly 
north-east. The other had flowed to the north-west, in 
broad irresistible torrents, for a distance of from 12 to 15 
miles to the sea, and, driving back the waters, had extended 
the boundaries of the island. The party attempted to de-. 
scend the great crater, but the steepness ofits sides prevented 
their examining it so fully as they desired. After spending 
ome time there, they walked along the ridge between three 
and four miles, and examined sixteen different craters, similar 
in their construction to the first they met with, though gener- 
ally smaller in their dimensions. The whole ridge appeared 
Jittle less than an assemblage of craters, which, in different 
ages, had deluged the vallies below with floods of lava, or 
showers of burning cinders. Some of them appeared to have 
reposed a long period, as they were covered with earth and 
returned towards Kairua. In their nro they discovered 
an excellent spring of water, by which the party were much 
fresh They had travelled so constantly upon the sharp 
points of lava, that their shoes were nearly destroyed, and 
they returned almost barefoot to the Governor’s at é 
Although the attempt to reach the summit of the mountain 
was unsuccessful, the excursion gave them the fullest evi- 
of the volcanic origin of this region. On the 16th of 
odrich. r from the extremities of 
their quadrant was nota good one, it was concluded that the 
real height exceeded this, ‘The mountain is, however, never 
covered with snow. Sasi s 
~ On the 18th of July they proceeded forth on their journey, 
and about the middle of the day, near Kahalu, they “ travelled 
about a . 
been ejected from a volcano, more recen 
of ed substnece, by which it was surrounded. It also 
