A ie. 
4 
te 
42 Volcanic Character of the Island of Hawaii. 
appeared to have been torn to pieces, and tossed up in the most 
confused manner, by some violent convulsion of the earth, at 
the time it was in a semi-fluid state. There was a kind of path 
formed across the most level part of it, by large, smooth, round 
stones, brought from the seashore, and placed three or four 
feet apart. By stepping from one to another of these we pass- 
-ed he they remaris) over the konghiest pieces of lava we had yet 
- On the 19th their way lay over arough tract of lava, resem- 
that which they passed the day before.—They go on to 
** In many places, it seemed as if the surface of the lava had 
become hard, while a few inches underneath, it had remained 
semi-fluid, and in that state had been broken up, and left in its 
present confused and rugged form. The rugged appearance 
of the lava was probably produced in part, by the expansive 
force of the heated air beneath the crust of lava, but this could 
not have caused the deep chasms and fissures which we saw 
in several i places 5 we also observed many large spherical vol- 
canic surface of which had been fused, and in some 
places had peeled off, like a crust or shell, an inch or two in 
thickness. The centre of some of these stones, which we broke, 
was of a dark blue colour, and clayey texture, and did ‘not 
“appear to have been at all affected by the fire.” 
On the 21st of July, the travellers arrived at the spot where, 
in _ year 1780, T: a decisive victory over 
his cousin and rival Kauikeouli, and thus laid the foundation 
of his power. The battle lasted eight days, and “ the scene 
of sé eee hy od Hee ta was a large tract of rugged la- 
va, the whole superficies of which had beet broken 
earthquake.” — 
‘On the 24th, near Keakoa, a singular iijipearande of the la- 
va attracted the attention of the party. ‘ It consisted of a 
covered forme of considerable extent, from 50 to 60 feet in 
. edge of a perpendicular stratum of ve 
cient Fievi. fon from 60 to 70 feet high. It appeared as if it fad ta 
wed Over in one vast shee but te og 
more slowly, and in Fie twa init Thece =e 
oie and united with the liquid la 
> quid lava bie 
that the Java still. pmatnued ts flow along the outside te 
