138 TJdrd Annual Report of the 



This irruption had uot taken place from any of the known 

 apertures of the volcano, but from a new crater formed on the 

 flank ot the mountain. Since first discovered at the foot of the 

 Piton-de-Crak till it had reached the sea, the lava occupied 

 30 days in traversing a space not more than three miles in 

 breadth. 



Two irruptions took place in August and in March, which 

 had produced other three streams of lava between nearly the 

 same points. 



Mr. Julien Desjardins had, in addition to the two localities 

 of the fossil bones of land tortoises which he formerly an- 

 nounced, discovered a third. It lies at La Mare Pantin, and 

 is nearly of the same nature as the others, affording specimens 

 of the bones on merely scratching the soil with the fingers. 

 By researches in these deposits, he had discovered a greater 

 variety of parts of the skeleton. 



Mr. Lislet Greoffroy had communicated a note respecting the 

 ascent of the Pieter Both mountain, by Claude Peuthe, on the 

 8th September, 1790. This is a sharp and conspicuous peak, 

 of volcanic origin, almost inaccessible on account of its form. 

 After many difficulties, this fearless sailor, by means of a rope 

 which he contrived to pass over the rock and fix on the other 

 side, arrived on the platform on the surnmit. This platform is 

 a little inclined from north to south, and, according to his 

 measurements, it is 27 feet in its greatest diameter. He 

 narrates also that this rock, which seems simply balanced iii 

 equilibrio on the apex of the great cone which forms the sum- 

 mit of this mountain, is only 35J feet in height. It was here, 

 hqwever, that the greatest danger was incurred. 



Unless his success had been indicated by the display of a 

 tricolor flag, which he hung on the end of a staff carried up 

 for that purpose, no one Avould have believed that it was prac- 

 ticable to reach that summit. — Mr. L. Geoffi'oy, who had 

 received notice of this attempt on the morning of his ascension^ 

 had taken his station at the Hotel de Genie, in the Rue de 

 Rempart, and was able, by means of a powerful astronomical 

 telescope, to distinguish him clearly, for he could remark a 

 white man, even the fluttering of his dress being perceptible. 



Mr. Polack communicated a short description of the island 

 of St. Paul, in which he notices, as had been before remarked, 

 that on the volcanic soil of the island there are streams of hot 

 and cold water so near, that fish can be taken in the one and 

 cooked in the other ; but he does not state the important par- 

 ticular of the exact distance between springs of such different 

 temperatures. 



From meteorological observations made at Port-Louis by 

 Mr. Geoffroy, it appears that during 1831 there have been 



