THE PIIILIITIXE ISLANDS To 



smoking cone of ^Mayoii with a full K-iiowiedge of tlie 

 disaster which inuy at any moment befall him. 



The volcanoes of Luzon demand special consideration. 

 Although, as has been already stated, the whole archi- 

 pelago is more or less of volcanic origin, the acme of the 

 manifestation of these subterranean forces appears to be 

 reached in the southern part of the great island of which 

 we are treating. Bulusan, situated within a few miles 

 only of its terminal cape, is still partly active, but though 

 two or three eruptions have taken place within the last 

 half century, they have not occasioned any great destruc- 

 tion. This cannot be said of ]\It. Mayon, whose stupen- 

 dous cone of nearly 9000 feet dominates the town of 

 Albay. The first eruption known to the Spaniards was 

 in 1616, and another occurred in 1766, which was 

 attended with great loss of life and property, but both 

 of these were eclipsed by that of 1st February 181-1 — 

 one of the most appalling of the many volcanic catas- 

 trophes which have visited the islands of Australasia. 

 The rain of ashes was such as to bury whole villages and 

 their coco-nut groves to a depth of 120 feet or more, and 

 more than 12,000 people lost their lives. In Manila, 

 208 miles distant, the ashes lay nearly two feet deep in 

 the streets. Since then eruptions have been very fre- 

 quent, but not so violent. The mountain has been 

 ascended both by Jagor and von Drasche, and has been 

 found to be without a crater — the steam and gas escaping 

 from a mass of scorite. The shape of the volcano is a 

 nearly perfect cone, an evidence that its formation has 

 been due to constant and prolonged action. In the Bay 

 of Sorsogon — celebrated as the harbour in which the 

 Acapulco galleons were built and fitted out — the land 

 has recently sunk five or six feet. At Tibi, on the coast 

 to the N.E., are fumaroles and hot springs somewhat 



