THE rillLIPl'LXE ISLANDS 75 



1716, 1740, 1754, 1867, and 1880— the most severe 

 being that of 1754, when for eight days the crater threw 

 out ashes and lava, darkening the sky to such an extent 

 that artificial lights had to be used at mid-day in Manila, 

 while the shocks of the explosions were sensible at a 

 distance of 300 leagues. The red-hot lava falling into 

 the lake raised the temperature of the neighbouring water 

 to boiling point, and the fish, perishing in countless 

 thousands, gave rise to an epidemic which is said to have 

 cost the lives of 40,000 of the natives. The last 

 eruption, that of July 1880, commenced before the great 

 earthquake, and stones of enormous size were projected 

 to some distance into the lake. The lake of Taal is 

 bounded on its south-west side by a low isthmus, formed 

 entirely of volc^aiic ashes, which separates it from the 

 sea, and it is evident that at some past period the walls 

 forming the ancient crater yielded at this spot, and that 

 the sea irrupted. At a later date a succeeding volcanic 

 eruption cut off this arm of the sea and turned it into a 

 lake. It is said to be still partially salt, and to contain 

 various marine fish. Previous to the 17 16 eruption the 

 island itself used to be cultivated, but the great showers 

 of ashes wdiich fell in 1754 destroyed everything, and in 

 1880 nothing was growing upon it but the coarse lalang 

 grass. Since then this too has disappeared, and the 

 island is now only a heap of cinders. 



Between Manila and the extreme north of Luzon 

 there are few volcanoes, and none of them are active, but 

 near Cape Engano, the north-east extremity of the island, 

 Cagud (3920 feet) appears as the first of another isolated 

 group. It is in a semi-active state, but has had no eruption 

 in the present century. Of the Babuyanes Islands two 

 are active, Camiguan and Babuyan Claro. In 1850 a 

 volcano suddenly rose from the sea-shore of the island of 



