ON ITS EXTERIOR. VOLCANOES. 357 



sixteen geographical miles from the south coast, in the 

 district of Fusi, province Suruga (lat. 35 18', long. 

 138 37' E.). Its height, measured like that of the 

 above-named volcano of Wunzen, in the island of Kiusiu, 

 by young Japanese observers trained by Siebold, reaches 

 12,443 feet; almost 300 feet higher, therefore, than the 

 Peak of Teneriffe, with which Kampfer had already 

 compared it. (Wilhelm Heine, Eeise nach Japan, 1856, 

 Bd. ii. S. 4.) The upheaval of this mountain took 

 place in the fifth year of the reign of Mikado VI., 

 (286 B.C.), as described in the following (geologically 

 remarkable) terms, e In the country about Omi, 

 a considerable tract of land sank down, a lake was 

 formed, and the volcano of Fusi rose to view.' The 

 historically known most violent eruptions were those 

 of 799, 800, 863, 937, 1032, 1083, and 1707 A.D., 

 since which last date the mountain has been in repose. 

 (2) Volcano Asamajama; the most central of the 

 active volcanoes in the interior of the country ; distant 

 80 geographical miles from the S.S.E., and 52 from the 

 N.N.W. coasts respectively ; in the district Saku, province 

 Sinano, lat. 3622 / , long. 138 40' E.; therefore between 

 the meridians of the two principal towns Mijako and 

 Jedo. Asamajama had an eruption as early as in the 

 year 864 (contemporaneously, therefore, with Fusijama). 

 It had a very violent and destructive eruption in July 

 1783, since which time it has been in permanent 

 activity. 



" In addition to these volcanoes, European navigators 

 have observed two small islands with smoking craters, 

 viz. : (3) the little island Iwogasima or Iwosima (sima 

 signifies island, and iwo sulphur ; ga is a mere affix of 



