Oct. 13, 1870] 
NATURE 
479 
which is situated in the interior of the North Island, had 
burst into active eruption in the month of April last, and 
for the first time within the knowledge of the colonists, or 
even the traditions of the Maories, lava streams have been 
emitted. On the occasion of previous eruptions, the 
outbursts have consisted only of ashes and gaseous mat- 
ters, the former having been spread over a district ex- 
tending for upwards of thirty miles round the mountain. 
The volcano is 6,000 feet high, and consists of a group of 
irregular broken cones, and one very perfect cone, known | 
to the natives as Ngauruhoe. Jets of boiling water and 
steam continvally issue from the north side of the moun- 
tain. At an altitude of 3,600 feet, andon the tcp of Ton- 
gariro proper, is a lake 300 yards across, the water of 
which is of an intense green colour. Ten miles to the 
south of Tongariro is the ancient trachyte cone of Rua- 
ehu, which is the loftiest mountain in the North Island, 
aving an altitude of 9,600 feet. It is a notable cir- 
cumstance, that on the sth of Ajril last, when 
electrical disturbances were so maiked in Europe, 
and the brilliant displays of Aurora Borealis were | 
generally observed, the corresponding phenomena of | 
‘the Aurora Australis were extremely well marked in 
the Southern Hemisphere, attended also by electrical 
disturbances of unusual character; and on the same | 
evening a well-marked earthquake shock was experienced 
in ‘the volcanic district of New Zealand, and shortly after 
the above eruption was reported. The country is very 
inaccessible at this season, but from the north end of 
| Taupo Lake, where there is now a telegraph station, a 
distant view is obtained. On the roth July, the immense 
| volumes of dense black smoke which are being emitted 
| from Tongariro were plainly visible from the hills at 
| Napier, as well as from parts of the surrounding plains. 
Loud reports were distinctly heard for the previous fort- 
night, like the becom of heavy artillery, or rather the noise 
caused by the falling of an immense body of matter, at 
| intervals of five minutes or thereabout. These reports 
| (which are very loud in the vicinity) are sometimes accom- 
| panied by a quiver of the earth, and in each case bya 
great up-burst of flame and red-hot masses like molten 
rock, A broad stream of red-hot lava is distinctly visible 
flowing down the side of the mountain in a wavy irregular 
mass ; and in the night the flames issuing from the crater 
are described as forming a highly interesting and beautiful 
spectacle. 
On the 18th a surveyor reports that he observed, about 
I.15 P.M., a sudden column of smoke come out of Ton- 
| gariro (just as if a steamer was firing up), and soon after 
it seemed to change to white steam ; he stood ona hill 
| about eighty miles distant, and could just see the top of 
| Tongariro to the east of the shoulders of Ruapehu. 
| 
RUAPEHU AND TONGARIRO, FROM THE ONETAPU DESERT, ON THE SOUTH-EAST SIDE AT THE SOURCES OF THE RANGITIKEI RIVER 
THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION 
SECTIONAL PROCEEDINGS 
SECTION A.—MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE 
The Radcliffe Observer (Rev. R. Main) coinmunicated the 
Observations of Shooting Stars made at the Observatory during 
the past year, from 1869, August 19, to 1870, August 31. 
Since the last report to the British Association, nearly 3co 
shooting stars have been observed by Mr. Luces at the Radcliffe 
Observatory, Oxford, distributed as follows :— 
27 in the remaining part of August, 1869. 
11 on the 1st and 3rd of September. 
17 in the month of October. 
16 on the 4th and 6th of November. 
21 on the nights of the 8th, gth, and roth. k: 
None on the rith in a watch at intervals from 7" 30 
till 125 30™. 
The nights of the 12th and 13th were thickly overcast. On 
the 14th there was a break from 11 to 12%, but no meteors 
seen ; eight were observed on the night of the 15th, between S 
and 13" 30%, in bright moonlight. On the 28th one was seen. 
On December 29 a remarkable meteor, about equal to one- 
© 
fourth of the full moon, was seen through the window of the 
sitting-room, with a bright gas-light nearly between the observer 
and the window. Course from the Pleiades to the south horizon. 
None were observed in 1870 till March 30, when one was 
observed by Mr. Main at 8" 20", larger than Jupiter, of a bril- 
liant white, and a period of about 5 seconds from the zenith, 
vertically downwards a little to the south of the prime vertical. 
On April 12th, at 11" 13", one larger than a Lyre, of a brilliant 
white, visible 2° to 3° from a point near a Lyre, northward 
about 10°. 
Aprl 19 at 14", 3 in quick succession were seen near 
a Herculis, of about second magnitude, with a rapid downward 
motion, one nearly vertical, one slightly inclined to the west, and 
the other to the east. Watch in bright moonlight till 16% 30". 
Only 7 were seen in May, and 1 in June. On July 8, at gh 
20™, the sky completely overcast and no star visibie, a meteor 
was seen below the clouds at a point near Cassiopeia, with a 
downward motion of about 6°, and bursting at the end of two 
seconds of time. 
Another meteor was seen below the clouds for about half a 
second on July 15, at 12" 25", near 8 Andromedz, scarcely any 
stars being visible in that part of the heavens. 
About 20 were seen on the night of July 21 by different persons 
while Mr. Luces was conversing with them, betweeng"and 134, but 
he did not see any till 13 43", when one equal to a Lyre left a 
point near that star, taking its course, with a long train, towards 
the north horizon. 
