450 COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL 



the Presbyterian Church have been estabhshed in all the 

 five islands, but they have been especially successful in 

 Aneitium, where the natives are all converted to 

 Christianity, and can all read and write. More than 

 forty schools are in existence. There has been no 

 murder on the island for many years, and crime of any 

 kind is almost unknown. Tanna is about 30 miles long 

 by 10 wide, well wooded, and with mountains of 3500 

 feet. It is exceedingly fertile, and is highly cultivated, 

 and European plantations have been formed on it for 

 some years past. The natives are about 8 in number. 

 Formerly cannibals, they have now almost abandoned the 

 practice, but intertribal warfare is still very common. 

 The island contains the most formidable volcano in the 

 group — Mount Yasowa. Captain Cook described it as 

 discharging a column of heavy smoke like a vast tree, 

 whose crown gradually spread as it ascended ; and it is 

 still active at the present day, Mr. F. A. Campbell 

 stating that the noise of its eruption is distinctly heard 

 upon Aneitium, 40 miles away. The height of this 

 volcano is less than 1000 feet, but the crater was found 

 by Admiral Markham to be 600 feet in diameter. The 

 island is visited by frequent and severe earthquakes, 

 which in 1878 destroyed the harbour of Port Kesolution. 

 Erromanga Island is the largest of the southern group, 

 and is high, rocky, well wooded, and in some parts highly 

 cultivated. The natives bear a bad name, and five 

 missionaries have been murdered by them at different 

 times, but this sacrifice of life has not been in vain, for 

 the character of the people has much improved of late, 

 and out of the population of 2500 over 1000 are said to 

 be Christians. Sandal- wood was at one time plentiful on 

 the island, but no system having been adopted for the 

 proper preservation of the species, it is now verging upon 



