Miscellanies. 359 



The sea quickly returned, and in twenty eight minutes reached the 

 height of an ordinary high tide; scarcely remaining stationary, it 

 again receded and fell six ieeL This was repeated at intervals 

 of twenty eight minutes. On the third rising it was four inches 

 above ordinary high-water mark, and fell again six feet four inches. 

 After the fourth rising, the length of time occupied by the rise and 

 fall varied, and the rise and fall diminished gradually but not reg- 

 ularly. At eleven p. m. the therm, stood at 74° ; barometer 30.04; 

 wind freshening and frequent showers; the ebb now occupied twenty 

 six minutes, and the flow ten. At eleven, 30, it became calm, with 

 constant rain. Therm. 73.5; barometer, 30.03. The ebb and flow 

 still continued occupying the same space of time, but the rise and fall 

 decreasinor. This continued duringr the forenoon of the 8th. The 

 rapidity with which the water fell varied in diflerent parts of tlie har- 

 bor. On the east side, the greatest rapidity noticed was six inches in 

 a minute; but on the north, at one time during the third recession, it 

 fell twelve inches in thirty seconds. At no time did the water rise 

 higher than a common spring tide ; but the fall was about six feet be- 

 low low water-mark. The same occurrence is related to have taken 

 place in 1819, when the tide rose and fell thirteen times in the space of 

 a few hours- On neither occasion was there any perceptible motion 

 or trembling of the earth, or unusual appearance of the atmosphere. 

 Since the above was written, distressing accounts have been received 

 from Maui, and Hawaii, of the damage done to property and loss of 

 life. On the leeward side of Maui, the same rise and fall took place 

 as at Honolulu ; but on the windward part of the Island, the sea re- 

 tired about twenty fathoms, and quickly returned in one gigantic 

 w^ave, sweeping every thing before it ;— houses, trees, canoes, and ev- 

 ery moveable object exposed to its fury. At a small village called 

 Kahului, in the district of Walluku, on the sea retiring, the amazed 

 inhabitants followed it as it receded, eagerly catching the stranded 

 fish, shouting and hallooing with pleasure, when suddenly the sea rose 

 perpendicularly before them like a precipice, and, rushing to the 

 beach, buried the assembled multitudes in the flood, and overflowing 

 the shore, swept away every house in the village but one ; the canoes 

 and property of the natives were all destroyed. Happily, owing to 

 the amphibiuus education of the people, but two lives were lost here; 

 but as the same occurrence happened all along the sea-side, we shall 



probable hear of more deaths. 



At Byron's Bay, on Hawaii, the same phenomenon took place. An 

 unusual number of persons were collected together attending a pro- 

 tracted meeting, consequently every house was crowded. At half 

 past six, the sea retired at the rate of four or five knots an hour, re- 



