218 EEPORT— 1887. 



by the twisting before it broke, the apparatus it carried was recovered. 

 This apparatus consisted of an iron wire, to which were attached a 

 number of metals of low fusibility, like antimony, zinc, &c., together 

 "with pieces of wood, india-rubber, sealing-wax, &c. By the melting, 

 burning, or fusing of some of these, it was hoped to obtain a rough idea 

 of the temperature. Above these came a small net containing pieces of 

 blue and red litmus-paper. Brazil-wood paper, and lead paper. With the 

 assistance of my colleague. Dr. E. Divers, I had planned a number of 

 chemical tests ; but from previous experience I had learnt the impossibility 

 of carrying out anything but the simplest of experiments when working 

 on the summit of a live volcano. 



At the second sounding, at a distance of about 100 feet from the edge, 

 bottom (side ?) was reached at 441 feet. The wire of metals, &c., came 

 up without change, farther than the softening and bending of the sealing- 

 wax. The automatic laboratory had a strong smell of the action of acid 

 vapours. The blue litmus was turned red, and the lead paper was well 

 darkened. Assuming the lead paper to have been blackened by sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen, then, as pointed out to me by Dr. Divers, the 

 absence of this gas at the surface, and the presence of sulphurous acid, 

 might be due to the decomposition of sulphuretted hydrogen by oxida- 

 tion or by sulphurous acid in the jDresence of steam. The presence of 

 sulphuretted hydrogen would indicate a relatively low temperature. 



At the thii'd sounding the line, which was a copper wire, gave way 

 at a depth of about 200 feet, carrying with it a mercurial weight thermo- 

 meter and other apparatus which I had reserved for what I hoped to be 

 the best sounding. 



The fourth and last sounding was made, as measured on the guy-rope, 

 at a distance of about 300 feet from the edge. In this case, the line, 

 which was strong twine, after striking bottom when nearly 800 feet of it 

 had run out, suddenly became slack. On hauling up, 755 feet were re- 

 covered. The end of this line was thoroughly carbonised, and several 

 feet were charred. Assuming that the guy-rope was paid out at an angle 

 of 45°, we may conclude that the depth at this particular place was at least 

 700 feet. It is probable that the greatest depth is about 750 feet. 



A final experiment was to attach a stone to the end of the cross-rope, 

 and then throw it into the crater, with the hope of hauling at least a 

 portion of it up the almost perpendicular face on the other side. Unfor- 

 tunately the line caught, and, in the endeavour to loosen it, it was broken. 



Before we left the summit we were very fortunate in obtaining views 

 of one side of the bottom of the crater. This we did by cautiously 

 crawling out upon an overhanging rock, and then, while lying on our 

 stomachs, putting our heads over the edge. The perpendicular side oppo- 

 site to lis appeai'ed to consist of thick horizontally stratified bands of rock 

 of a white colour. The bottom of the pit itself was white, and covered 

 with boulders and debris. Small jets of steam were hissing from many 

 places in the sides of the pit, while on our left, where we had been sound- 

 ing, large volumes of choking vapours were surging up in angry clouds. 



After this we descended the mountain, reaching our hotel at 8 P M., 

 after 15 hours' absence. 



The recorded eruptions of Asama took place in the years 687, 1124 or 

 1126, 1527, 1532, 1596, 1645, 1648, 1649, 1652, 1657, 1659, 1661, 1704, 

 1708, 1711, 1719, 1721, 1723, 1729, 1733, 1783, and 1869. This last 

 eruption was feeble, but the eruption of 1783 was one of the most fright- 



