﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  409 
  

  

  studded 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  abrupt 
  elevations 
  twenty 
  or 
  thirty 
  feet 
  high, 
  while 
  to 
  the 
  

   left 
  rises 
  a 
  huge 
  cone 
  with 
  a 
  crater 
  at 
  its 
  summit. 
  On 
  the 
  eastern 
  end 
  this 
  

   lava 
  embankment 
  turns 
  abruptly 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  as 
  it 
  strikes 
  the 
  lake 
  shore, 
  and 
  

   from 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  line 
  extends 
  in 
  a 
  northerly 
  direction 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  one 
  

   and 
  a 
  half 
  miles, 
  or 
  more, 
  when 
  it 
  strikes 
  another 
  lake, 
  or 
  as 
  is 
  most 
  likely, 
  what 
  

   was 
  once 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  Snag 
  Lake. 
  At 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  line 
  turns 
  sharply 
  to 
  

   the 
  west, 
  the 
  lava 
  dyke 
  crossing 
  the 
  lake 
  to 
  its 
  western 
  shore, 
  when 
  it 
  again 
  

   deviates 
  to 
  the 
  southwest, 
  until 
  it 
  strikes 
  the 
  lake 
  line 
  previously 
  described. 
  

   Nearly 
  midway, 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  side, 
  the 
  Cinder 
  Cone 
  rises 
  abruptly 
  from 
  the 
  

   border 
  of 
  the 
  lava 
  bed, 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  it 
  resting 
  upon 
  the 
  plain. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  

   that, 
  should 
  my 
  estimate 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  correct, 
  the 
  entire 
  circumference 
  of 
  the 
  

   lava 
  bed 
  is 
  between 
  four 
  and 
  five 
  miles. 
  For 
  the 
  entire 
  distance, 
  except 
  at 
  the 
  

   cone, 
  the 
  embankment 
  rises 
  from 
  the 
  plain 
  or 
  water 
  eighty 
  or 
  ninety 
  feet, 
  at 
  a 
  

   sharp 
  angle 
  of 
  about 
  sixty 
  degrees, 
  and 
  in 
  no 
  instance 
  is 
  there 
  in 
  this 
  border 
  

   the 
  slightest 
  trace 
  of 
  a 
  lava 
  flow 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  a 
  molten 
  state 
  when, 
  

   thrown 
  out. 
  

  

  The 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  blocks 
  shows 
  a 
  bright 
  metallic 
  luster, 
  the 
  colors 
  varying 
  

   in 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  from 
  black 
  to 
  a 
  reddish 
  brown. 
  On 
  climbing 
  to 
  

   the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  lava 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  irregular, 
  with 
  ridges 
  and 
  depres- 
  

   sions 
  alternately, 
  forming 
  a 
  surface 
  so 
  uneven 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  very 
  fatiguing 
  to 
  

   walk 
  for 
  any 
  distance 
  upon 
  it. 
  Near 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  I 
  observed 
  a 
  mass 
  

   of 
  lava 
  which 
  showed 
  signs 
  of 
  having 
  been 
  in 
  a 
  molten 
  state 
  when 
  thrown 
  upon 
  

   the 
  surface 
  ; 
  this 
  was 
  a 
  somewhat 
  narrow 
  strip, 
  a 
  hundred 
  feet 
  or 
  so 
  in 
  length, 
  

   lying 
  in 
  a 
  horizontal 
  position, 
  but 
  slightly 
  broken, 
  and 
  its 
  rough, 
  uneven, 
  corru- 
  

   gated 
  surface 
  clearly 
  indicating 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  cooled 
  by 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  

   atmosphere. 
  A 
  few 
  sickly-looking 
  pine 
  trees 
  — 
  a 
  dozen 
  or 
  two 
  at 
  the 
  most 
  — 
  

   were 
  struggling 
  for 
  existence, 
  wherever 
  a 
  little 
  collection 
  of 
  burnt 
  earth 
  rend- 
  

   ered 
  such 
  an 
  existence 
  possible. 
  These 
  trees 
  were 
  quite 
  small, 
  being 
  only 
  two 
  

   or 
  three 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter. 
  

  

  As 
  I 
  before 
  stated, 
  the 
  cone 
  rises 
  from 
  the 
  western 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  field. 
  In 
  

   making 
  the 
  ascent 
  I 
  selected 
  a 
  point 
  to 
  the 
  southeast 
  of 
  the 
  cone, 
  as 
  the 
  side 
  

   there 
  rests 
  against 
  the 
  lava, 
  and 
  its 
  level 
  of 
  a 
  hundred 
  feet 
  can 
  be 
  reached 
  

   without 
  much 
  effort. 
  From 
  this 
  point, 
  however, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  loose 
  and 
  sliding 
  

   material, 
  the 
  ascent 
  proved 
  a 
  very 
  severe 
  task, 
  far 
  exceeding 
  anything 
  I 
  had 
  

   previously 
  undertaken. 
  

  

  Barometrical 
  measurement 
  showed 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  cone 
  to 
  be 
  six 
  hundred 
  

   feet 
  above 
  the 
  plain 
  at 
  its 
  base, 
  the 
  exact 
  height, 
  I 
  believe, 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  Yesuviu?. 
  

   It 
  possesses 
  a 
  well 
  defined 
  outer 
  rim 
  of 
  some 
  srx 
  hundred 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter. 
  

   Within 
  the 
  rim, 
  after 
  a 
  descent 
  of 
  about 
  sixty 
  feet, 
  a 
  level 
  bench 
  is 
  reached, 
  

   on 
  which 
  one 
  may 
  walk 
  entirely 
  around 
  the 
  inner 
  crater, 
  which 
  is 
  funnel-shaped, 
  

   and 
  about 
  ninety 
  or 
  one 
  hundred 
  feet 
  in 
  depth. 
  

  

  The 
  crater 
  exhibits 
  no 
  signs 
  of 
  having 
  contained 
  water. 
  A 
  few 
  small 
  willow 
  

   twigs 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  growing 
  within 
  the 
  outer 
  rim. 
  Judging 
  from 
  the 
  appear- 
  

   ance 
  of 
  the 
  lava 
  bed, 
  as 
  viewed 
  from 
  the 
  summit, 
  and 
  the 
  present 
  condition 
  of 
  

   the 
  material, 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  the 
  present 
  cone 
  has 
  thrown 
  out 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  

  

  