168 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [DeC. 3, 



present flood of lava is flowing, — the wild dreariness of the fore- 

 ground, — and the tropical sky above — formed a scene almost inde- 

 scribably grand and wonderful. 



About midday I had arrived at the lava of the present eruption, at 

 a spot about a mile and a half below the lower crater and about three 

 miles below the upper one ; whilst, as far as the eye could reach, I 

 could trace its devastating course in the valley and forests below. 

 The stream of fresh lava at this point was about two miles in breadth, 

 of a dark dull-greenish colour, with a metallic lustre. Its surface 

 presented every variety of form and distortion ; — here wreathed about 

 like rolls of shrivelled parchment, — there burst in cooling into slabs 

 and fragments, — sometimes with a smooth surface, only broken by 

 cracks and fissures, — in other places twisted like strands of coiled rope, 

 or rolled out into huge waves and serpentine convolutions. In many 

 places smoke or steam was still rising ; and, in walking upon it, it 

 was often hot to the feet, especially when, as frequently occurred, 

 the upper coating broke through beneath the tread, causing a fall 

 amongst hot lava and sulphurous steam, suggestive at first of no 

 pleasant ideas, for below the hardened surface flowed down the liquid 

 fire. After walking some distance across the recent lava, I obtained 

 a good view of the fiery flood below, through a broken part of the 

 surface. The huge arch and roof of the cavern glowed red-hot, and, 

 as with some difficulty I obtained a point directly overhanging it, 

 the glare was perfectly scorching. The lava, at almost a white heat, 

 flowed slowly down at the rate of about three or four miles an hour. 

 I dropped a fragment of rock into it, which it carried floating on. 

 There was something very impressive in its steady smooth onward 

 course. Passing several similar abysses and fissures, I arrived at 

 the lower crater. The upper crust of the lava having cooled, the 

 discharge was there entirely subterranean. Some dark fantastically 

 shaped rocks, volumes of smoke, and some heaps of small stones, one 

 of which containing a great proportion of sulphur was burning most 

 furiously, — the whole surrounded by an ocean of partially cooled 

 lava, — such was the lower crater. I walked on as well as I could 

 until I reached one of the mounds or heaps of rocks forming a side 

 of the crater. Lying down on the hot stones, I attempted to look 

 over, as it were, down a gigantic chimney, to see the boiling lava 

 which I heard seething and bubbling. I got my head over the edge, 

 and had just time to see a long broad fissure full of smoke, when I 

 was almost suffocated with smoke and sulphuric acid gas, and thought 

 myself fortunate to be able to retreat in safety. After leaving this, 

 I was joined by my ** guide," whom I had not seen for some time 

 before ; indeed the smoke and darkness were so great that I had 

 had some misgivings of his finding me again. He informed me that 

 the other natives, who had been much tired yesterday, were 

 thoroughly exhausted and unable to reach the summit, and that they 

 must await our return where they were. 



The upper crater is about a mile above the lower one. The inter- 

 mediate space presents the same chaotic confusion of loose scoriaceous 

 rocks, torn and burst asunder, and lava, warm and steaming, some of 



