﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  411 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  trees 
  still 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  adjoining 
  forest 
  show 
  scars, 
  and 
  

   the 
  new 
  wood 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  reparative 
  process 
  is 
  apparently 
  of 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  

   years' 
  growth, 
  although, 
  as 
  I 
  had 
  no 
  ax, 
  I 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  verify 
  this 
  statement 
  

   by 
  count 
  of 
  the 
  annular 
  rings 
  in 
  the 
  new 
  wood. 
  I 
  had 
  forgotten 
  to 
  state 
  that 
  

   there 
  was 
  one 
  living 
  tree 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  ashes 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  lost 
  its 
  top, 
  and 
  its 
  

   scarred 
  trunk 
  indicates 
  a 
  desperate 
  struggle 
  for 
  life. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  endeavored 
  to 
  place 
  before 
  you 
  this 
  evening 
  all, 
  as 
  I 
  believe, 
  of 
  the 
  

   more 
  important 
  facts 
  upon 
  which 
  I 
  base 
  the 
  supposition 
  that 
  this 
  volcano 
  has 
  

   been 
  in 
  active 
  operation 
  within 
  twenty-five 
  years. 
  Much 
  of 
  this 
  evidence 
  will 
  

   soon 
  disappear. 
  The 
  ice 
  in 
  another 
  winter, 
  perhaps, 
  will 
  have 
  lifted 
  the 
  last 
  

   tree 
  from 
  its 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  the 
  concave 
  depressions 
  in 
  the 
  ashes 
  

   will 
  gradually 
  become 
  less 
  distinct, 
  and 
  the 
  trees 
  encircled 
  in 
  the 
  stony 
  embrace 
  

   of 
  the 
  lava 
  will 
  soon 
  decay 
  ; 
  yet 
  the 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  volcano 
  itself 
  are 
  so 
  

   marked 
  that 
  it 
  will, 
  for 
  a 
  century 
  to 
  come, 
  be 
  recognized 
  as 
  of 
  recent 
  origin. 
  

   I 
  had 
  traveled 
  for 
  weeks 
  over 
  a 
  country 
  every 
  inch 
  of 
  which 
  exhibited 
  traces 
  

   of 
  volcanic 
  action. 
  Yet 
  there 
  always 
  existed 
  something 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  nature 
  

   was 
  endeavoring 
  to 
  repair 
  the 
  mischief 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  wrought. 
  By 
  disinteg- 
  

   ration 
  the 
  unsightly 
  lava 
  blocks 
  were 
  being 
  converted 
  into 
  soil, 
  on 
  which 
  

   vegetation 
  was 
  luxuriating 
  and 
  where 
  animal 
  life 
  can 
  find 
  subsistence. 
  I 
  had 
  

   climbed 
  very 
  many 
  well 
  wooded 
  volcanic 
  peaks 
  to 
  find 
  that 
  within 
  the 
  very 
  

   craters 
  large 
  trees 
  were 
  growing, 
  and 
  the 
  sides 
  converted 
  into 
  grassy 
  slopes. 
  

   Here, 
  however, 
  the 
  lava 
  bed 
  was 
  as 
  sharply 
  defined 
  as 
  though 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  fortress 
  

   in 
  an 
  open 
  plain 
  ; 
  and 
  although 
  surrounded 
  on 
  all 
  sides 
  by 
  volcanic 
  ruins, 
  it 
  

   appeared 
  as 
  fresh 
  and 
  new 
  as 
  though 
  the 
  creation 
  of 
  but 
  a 
  day. 
  

  

  Since 
  my 
  oral 
  report 
  to 
  this 
  Society 
  four 
  different 
  gentlemen 
  have 
  furnished 
  

   me 
  with 
  reports 
  which, 
  in 
  my 
  estimation, 
  must 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  corroborative 
  

   proof 
  of 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  an 
  active 
  volcano 
  about 
  the 
  period 
  named. 
  Dr, 
  

   Wozencraft 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1850-51 
  he 
  was 
  residing 
  at 
  

   a 
  point 
  some 
  distance 
  above 
  Red 
  Bluffs, 
  when 
  he 
  observed 
  a 
  great 
  fire 
  to 
  the 
  

   eastward 
  of 
  Lassen, 
  which 
  continued 
  for 
  many 
  nights 
  without 
  change 
  of 
  posi- 
  

   tion. 
  The 
  Doctor 
  states 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  observers 
  expressed 
  the 
  belief, 
  on 
  

   the 
  first 
  night 
  of 
  its 
  appearance, 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  light 
  from 
  a 
  large 
  Indian 
  

   camp-fire. 
  The 
  reappearance 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  body 
  of 
  flame 
  for 
  so 
  many 
  nights 
  in 
  

   succession, 
  however, 
  seemed 
  to 
  shake 
  their 
  faith 
  in 
  the 
  camp-fire 
  theory. 
  The 
  

   Doctor, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  since, 
  has 
  earnestly 
  advocated 
  the 
  theory 
  that 
  the 
  

   phenomenon 
  was 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  volcano 
  in 
  active 
  operation. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  J. 
  B. 
  Trask 
  also 
  states 
  that 
  at 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  period 
  he 
  was 
  near 
  

   Rich 
  Bar, 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  fork 
  of 
  the 
  Feather 
  River. 
  He, 
  too, 
  distinctly 
  re- 
  

   members 
  the 
  display 
  for 
  many 
  nights 
  in 
  succession. 
  From 
  his 
  point 
  of 
  obser- 
  

   vation 
  the 
  distance 
  cannot 
  be 
  more 
  than 
  forty 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  cone. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Charles 
  Gibbes 
  stated 
  that 
  he 
  and 
  a 
  party 
  of 
  miners 
  witnessed 
  the 
  same 
  

   spectacle 
  while 
  at 
  Angel's 
  Camp, 
  and 
  referred 
  it 
  to 
  an 
  eruption 
  of 
  a 
  volcano. 
  

   Himself 
  and 
  comrades, 
  in 
  their 
  estimate 
  of 
  the 
  distance 
  to 
  the 
  supposed 
  volcano, 
  

   placed 
  it 
  at 
  150 
  miles 
  ; 
  in 
  point 
  of 
  fact, 
  it 
  is 
  about 
  160. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Henry 
  Chapman, 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Academy, 
  writes 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  

  

  