168 THE ANTARCTIC. 



visit, he had an opportunity of observing both these forms 

 of volcanic manifestation, though no actual eruption 

 producing ashes and lava took place. On the other 

 hand numerous fumaroles, especially on the shores of the 

 basin, were seen, from which hissing jets of steam escaped, 

 breaking through the masses of ash and tufa washed down 

 from the hills ; near these were numerous hot springs 

 with a temperature of 190 '4° F. It is interesting to find 

 these steam jets and hot-water springs piercing a com- 

 pletely hard-frozen surface, as was discovered by digging- 

 down close to the openings. In the neighbourhood of 

 these sources and of the solfataras, a dense layer of 

 milk-white gypsum, partly crystallised, was found, also 

 sulphur and alum ; among the gases ejected sulphuretted 

 hydrogen seemed to preponderate. The fumaroles and 

 solfataras were not confined to the shores of the inner 

 basin, they were seen in numbers on the higher summits, 

 which were constantly veiled in clouds of steam. This 

 was especially the case with Iceberg Hill, the cap of 

 which consisted of hot clay containing sulphur and alum 

 efflorescence. The changes wrought in the original 

 substances are not, however, confined to the immediate 

 neighbourhood of the active emission of gas and steam, 

 but everywhere on the island there were wide and often 

 extensive tracts transformed into masses of hard bright 

 red clay through the action of disintegrating processes. 

 This clay is found in a solid and porous state, partly 

 enclosing crystals. In some places a very interesting 

 alternation of layers of undecomposed ashes and snow 

 was found, in others ice and snow alone seemed to cover 

 the summits of the hills, and again hillocks of pure ashes 

 lay between them. Webster does not attribute these 

 conditions to eruptions of ashes of which none were 

 seen, but rather to the activity of the violent tempests 

 of the west winds, which set in motion large masses of 

 light eruptive matter as well as snow. Besides these 



