VOLCANIC ACTION. 247 



which hot stones, and cinders, and immense'volumes 

 of steam were incessantly ascending. 



That was but the tranquil state of the volcanic 

 action; for, at short intervals, the crater became 

 filled with stones, cinders, and dust, which were 

 volleyed upwards to the height of several hundred 

 feet with loud noise ; and when they again fell down 

 and converted the surface of the surrounding sea 

 into steam, the noise was still louder. So powerful 

 was that steam as it rose, that it carried the dust 

 with it, so that the whole had a brown colour, and a 

 solid appearance ; but the steam became white as it 

 ascended, and the mud fell down in showers. These 

 volley ings and descents were so constant that one 

 was often up before the other had fallen ; and amid 

 the columns lightnings were continually flashing, 

 and thunders roaring, as if all the sublime and the 

 terrible in nature had been collected at that one little 

 spot. Commander Swinburne's description is so 

 circumstantial, that we shall give part of it in his 

 own words : 



" Renewed eruptions of hot cinders and dust 

 were," says he, " quickly succeeding each other, 

 while forked lightning and rattling thunder darted 

 about in all directions within the column, now dark- 

 ened 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 to be more than half a foot in 

 diameter, and many of them much smaller." 



During the whole time the wind was steady at 

 north-west, and the weather was serene, so that the 

 action, violent as it was witliin its range, was very 

 confined in that. Confined as it was, however, it 



