l8o PLEASANT WA YS IN SCIENCE. 



or, indeed, could possibly occur. Such a wave as actually 

 disturbed the Pacific on that day could not in any case 

 have been produced by tidal action, even though the winds 

 had assisted to their utmost, and all the circumstances 

 which help to make high tides had combined as the 

 greatest proximity of moon to earth, the conjunction of 

 moon and sun near the celestial equator, and (of course) 

 the exact coincidence of the time of the tidal disturbance 

 with that when the combined pull of the sun and moon is 

 strongest As, instead, the sun was nearly eighteen degrees 

 from the equator, the moon more than nine, and as the 

 moon was a full week's motion from the part of her path 

 where she is nearest to the earth, while, as we have seen, 

 only two days had passed from the time of absolutely lowest 

 tides, it will be seen how utterly unable the tidal-wave 

 must have been on the day of the great disturbance to pro- 

 duce the effects presently to be described. 



It may seem strange, in dealing with the case ot a wave 

 which apparently had its origin in or near Peru on May 9, 

 to consider the behaviour of a volcano, distant 5000 miles 

 from this region, a week before the disturbance took place. 

 But although the coincidence may possibly have been 

 accidental, yet in endeavouring to ascertain the true seat of 

 disturbance we must overlook no evidence, however seem- 

 ingly remote, which may throw light on that point ; and 

 as the sea-wave generated by the disturbance reached very 

 quickly the distant region referred to, it is by no means 

 unlikely that the subterranean excitement which the dis- 

 turbance relieved may have manifested its effects before- 

 hand at the same remote volcanic region. Be tin's as it 

 may, it is certain that on May i the great crater of Kilauea, 

 in the island of Hawaii, became active, and on the 4th 

 severe shocks of earthquake were felt at the Volcano 

 House. At three in the afternoon a jet of lava was thrown 

 up to a height of about 100 feet, and afterwards some fifty 

 jets came into action. Subsequently jets of steam issued 

 along the line formed by a fissure four miles in length 





