Prof. John Milne — A Cruise among the Kurile Islands. 339 



it was observable tbat in many cases the undulations, and more 

 especially tbe bluffs, of the land on one side correspond with those 

 upon the other. These observations suggested the idea that in times 

 not far remote these two islands have been continuous. At the time 

 when the high volcanos of Paramushir were in full activity, they 

 probably gave forth the materials which form the breccia. At first 

 these materials were large and coarse, but as the intensity of the 

 eruptions gradually decreased, the ejectamenta became finer and 

 finer, as is indicated in the deposit of tuff overlying the coarser 

 stones. From the absence of any appearance of stratification, I 

 should be inclined to think that this action was a continuous one ; at 

 first violent and fierce, and finally, after the beds in Shumushi had 

 accumulated to a thickness of a hundred feet or more, weak and 

 feeble, puffing out fine dust and ashes, which fell and formed the tuff. 



This continuous action, of which we have here evidence, I may 

 remark, is very different to the action which has been carried on by 

 the volcanos further south in Yezo and Niphon, where we have 

 stratified beds of varying thickness, showing that sometimes we had 

 a violent eruption, and next a feeble one. Sometimes these rapidly 

 succeeded each other, but at other times, as is indicated by an inter- 

 mediate layer of soil, there were periods of repose. The outbursts 

 of the Japanese volcanos have been spasmodic ; whilst the outbreaks 

 which covered Shumushi, which apparently came from the high 

 volcanos of Paramushir, have probably been more regular in their 

 action. When speaking of these volcanos under the headings of the 

 several islands in which they occur, I will give other reasons for my 

 belief that the building up of many of the Kurile mountains has 

 been by a continuous action rather than by a series of spasmodic 

 efforts. 



Immediately after these eruptions we must imagine the Kurile 

 Strait to have been bridged across by the lower part of a continuous 

 volcanic curve. Subsequently, because the materials which formed 

 this bridge were soft, the sea has gradually eaten itself a channel 

 through it. This channel is not like the channels between the other 

 islands, almost unfathomable, but shallow. The greatest depth being 

 about thirteen fathoms. Whilst this was going on, subaerial actions 

 have worn out the ridges on the volcanos and the slight hollows on 

 Shimshis, which now form the valleys, shallowing the sea by the 

 material derived from the land near their entrance. 



At the southern entrance to the Little Kurile Straits are a number 

 of small islands called Torishima (Bird Islands). These I did not see. 



Alaid Island. — This is a small island lying almost eleven miles off 

 the north-west coast of Paramushir. Its general appearance is that 

 of a solitary cone. From a rough observation made at a distance of 

 almost six miles this appears to be over 8,000 feet in height. When 

 I first saw it, we were steering N.N.E. between it and Paramushir. 

 At this place we sounded with forty-five fathoms of line without 

 finding bottom. At that time the base of Alaid was covered with 

 clouds, but above these the top showed itself like a huge wedge- 

 shaped cap. The edge of the wedge, which apparently was the 



