378 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



tions was heard. At 9, being distant from it about two miles, and the water being much 

 discoloured with dark objects at the surface in various places, I hove to, and went in a 

 boat to sound round and examine it. I rowed towards it, keeping on the weather-side, 

 and sounding, but got no bottom till within twenty yards of the western side, where I 

 had eighteen fathoms, soft bottom ; this was the only sounding obtained, except from the 

 brig, one mile true north from the centre of the island, where the depth was 130 fathoms, 

 soft dark brown mud. The crater (for it was now evident that such was its form) 

 seemed to be composed of fine cinders and mud of a dark brown colour ; within it was to 

 be seen, in the intervals between the eruptions, a mixture of muddy water, steam, and 

 cinders, dashing up and down, and occasionally running into the sea, over the edge of the 

 crater, which I found, on rowing round, to be broken down to the level of the sea, on the 

 "W. S. W. side, for the space of ten or twelve yards. Here I obtained a better view of 

 the interior, which appeared to be filled with muddy water, violently agitated, from which 

 showers of hot stones or cinders were constantly shooting up a few yards, and falling 

 into it again ; but the great quantity of steam that constantly rose from it prevented my 

 seeing the whole crater. 



" A considerable stream of muddy water flowed outward through the opening, and, 

 mingling with that of the sea, caused the discolouration that had been observed before. 

 I could not approach near enough to observe its temperature ; but that of the sea, within 

 ten or twelve yards of it, was only one degree higher than the average ; and to leeward 

 of the island, in the direction of the current (which ran to the eastward), no difference 

 could be perceived, even where the water was most discoloured ; however, as a ' mirage ' 

 played above it near its source, it was probably hot there. The dark objects on the sur 

 face of the sea proved to be patches of small floating cinders. The island or crater 

 appeared to be seventy or eighty yards in its external diameter, and the lip as thin as it 

 could be consistent with its height, which might be twenty feet above the sea in the 

 highest, and six feet in the lowest part, leaving the rest for the diameter of the area 

 within. These details could only be observed in the intervals between the great erup 

 tions, some of which I witnessed from the boat. No words can describe their sublime 

 grandeur. Their progress was generally as follows : After the volcano had emitted for 

 some time its usual quantities of white steam, suddenly the whole aperture was filled with 

 an enormous mass of hot cinders and dust, rushing upwards to the height of some hun 

 dred feet with a loud roaring noise, then falling into the sea on all sides with a still 

 louder noise, arising in part, perhaps, from the formation of prodigious quantities of steam 

 Avhich instantly took place. The steam was at first of a brown colour, having embodied 

 a great deal of dust ; as it rose it gradually recovered its pure white colour, depositing 

 the dust in the shape of a shower of muddy rain. While this was being accomplished, 

 renewed eruptions of hot cinders and dust were quickly succeeding each other, while 

 forked lightning, accompanied by rattling thunder, darted about in all directions within 

 the column, now darkened with dust and greatly increased in volume, and distorted by 

 sudden gusts and whirlwinds. The latter were most frequent on the lee side, where 

 they often made imperfect water-spouts of curious shapes. On one occasion some of the 

 steam reached the boat ; it smelt a little of sulphur, and the mud it left became a gritty, 

 sparkling, dark brown powder when dry. None of the stones or cinders thrown out 

 appeared more than half a foot in diameter, and most of them much smaller. 



"From the time when the volcano was first seen till after I left it, the barometer did not 

 fall or rise ; the sympiesometer underwent frequent but not important changes ; and the 

 temperature of the sea did not bespeak any unusual influence. After sunset, on the 18th, 

 soundings were tried for every hour, to the average depth of eighty fathoms ; no bottom. 

 The wind was N.W. ; the weather was serene. On the forenoon of the 19th, with the 



