﻿194 Trof. Milne — Visit to an active' Volcano. 



is about fifteen metres or more in depth, and is smTounded by 

 apparently almost perpendicular cliffs of stratified trachytic and 

 brecciated rocks. It is in fact the crater of an old volcano, and is 

 stated by the people of the island to have been first occupied by the 

 sea about 100 years ago. About two weeks previous to this time I 

 had been travelling round the province of Idzu, which is the nearest 

 mainland to this island. Whilst there, I and my companion made 

 several unsuccessful attempts to cross the ten or fourteen miles of 

 water which separated us from this then inactive volcano. Japanese 

 boatmen and junk-owners, however, thinking the weather too un- 

 certain, we had to content ourselves with remaining on the mainland, 

 and sketching the island from a distance. Both it and its southern 

 neighbours showed many peaks, which, from their similarity to those 

 in Japan, might be considered without much risk of error as being 

 of volcanic origin. One thing which then particularly struck us was 

 their barren appearance. In this I now found that we had been 

 considerably mistaken, and that, at least at Oshima, there was a 

 considerable amount of vegetation. All the sides of the harbour in 

 which we lay were thickly covered with underwood and small trees, 

 whilst in many places near the shore, some fair-sized pines rose to a 

 considerable height. 



Excepting birds, the Fauna of the island is represented by rats, 

 mice, weasels, and snakes. At one time there was a large wild 

 animal like a goat, but this has been exterminated by the Japanese 

 natives. Foxes, and many other animals, which are so abundant on 

 the mainland, do not exist. Frogs are also conspicuous by their 

 absence, but this is probably owing to there being a scarcity of 

 water on the island. In whatever way, however, this island may 

 have been colonized since the time of its formation, both the Fauna 

 and Flora are sufficiently large to guarantee the assumption that it 

 is of a considerable age, which, as I have before stated, is probably 

 that of the volcanic cones which so thickly cover the mainland. 



From the people on shore we learnt that the eruption had com- 

 menced on the 4:th of the month, and therefore it had been sixteen 

 days in action. The only notice that they had of its outburst was a 

 loud explosion, which was described as having produced a slight 

 vibration. This appears to have been all that was felt of the nature 

 of an earthquake, and so far as the inhabitants of the island were 

 concerned, all was going on quietly. They told us that cinders 

 were being thrown out of the crater, and that seven years previously, 

 as I have before stated, there had been a similar eruption, which, 

 however, only lasted two days. Twenty years before that they 

 said it was always in eruption. Information, however, was difficult 

 to obtain, and uncertain in its character. None of the inhabitants, 

 although not more than four miles distant, had visited the crater, 

 and, as we shortly afterwards found out, did not appear even to 

 know the way to it. 



Securing the assistance of six men, we set out by a zigzag road 

 towards the top of the old crater, in which the village is situated and 

 where our vessel was lying at anchor. The sides of this crater had, 



