352 Volcanic Eruptions on Hawait. 
of nearly four square 
miles,* thus exceeding in 
ex 
one hundred thousand in- 
habitants. Yet on look- 
ing into it from above, it 
is difficult to realize its 
size, as there is no ene = 
within or about it which = 
structures as St. Peter’s at Rome could be Mtoneninandaeid within 
its walls, or that the lofty dome of this cathedral would stand 
with its pinnacle but little above the black ledge. The great lake 
of boiling lava (a), 1000 feet by 1500, as above mentioned, is a 
small object i in such an area, 
A better idea of the internal form of the pit will be obtained 
from a transverse section here represented. It is taken in the 
line of the shorter diameter ; a section through the longer diame- 
ter on the same scale (a third of an inch to.a thousand feet) would 
not have room on the page; mmm’ is the whole breadth of the 
crater; on,o'n’, the black ledge ; pp’ the bottom of the lower 
pit; n p, n’ p’ the walls of the lower pit, 342 feet in pete og wnt 
mo’, the walls above the black ledge, 650 feet in — 
‘ VERTICAL SECTION OF KILAUEA. 
The walls of the crater (m 0) are vertical, or nearly so, through 
the most of their circuit. There 1 is a break with several fissures 
in the northeast corner, (in the figure above, the wpper side is 
north,) where is the usual place of descent; and on the south- 
east side (0) there are two or three sloping declivities, on nian 
one of the famous sulphur banks is situate 
Without ipa with these details silts to the crater ét Q 
Kilatiea, we proceed to an account of the eruptions of whic t 
we have Ehowledge. 
The first eruption of this crater of which tradition gives: ony 
definite knowledge, occurred about the year 1789, during the 
wars and conquests of Ka- meha-meha. It took place ‘between Ki- 
lauea and the sea in a-southeasterly Wirection. It is said to we 
been accompanied by violent earthquakes and rendings of the 
earth: and au ale of cinders and stones from the opened fis- 
* As neat as can be ascertained Gon he apy of the tr cho asa tre 
square miles, or 100,000,000 ical 
pe ae 
