1869.] 



WILLIAjU son HA WAII. 



433 



considerable eruption and lava-flow occurred in 1843, another of 

 less consequence in 1851 ; and in 1852 a great lava-stream issued 

 from, the side of the mountain, at an elevation of about 10,000 feet, 

 and flowed westwards for about thirty miles without reaching the 

 sea. In 1855-56 the most extensive eruption on record occurred. 

 The lava issued from a fissure on the western slope of Mount Loa, 

 at an elevation of about 12,000 feet, flowed first in a north-westerly- 

 direction down to the central plateau, and then, turning westward, 

 took the direction of Hilo. This lava-stream flowed for thirteen 

 months, travelled a distance of sixty miles, and covered nearly 300 

 square miles of ground. In 1859 an eruption commenced at an 

 elevation of about 9000 feet, from a crater 500 feet in diameter ; 

 the flow of lava continued for six months, passing across the central 

 plateau in a north-easterly direction, skirting the volcano of Hua- 

 lalai, and reaching the shore between Kiholo and Wainaualii, where 

 it forms a distinct promontory. This lava-stream destroyed the 

 village of Kiholo. The chief lava-flows from Mount Loa have taken 

 a more or less northerly dii-ection ; and the author ascribes the lavas 

 of the south-western portion of the island, especially the district of 

 Puna, to the activity of the great crater of Kilauea (elevation 3970 

 feet), the appearance of which he describes. Eruptions of Kilauea 

 took place, according to the author, in 1789 (consisting of sand and 

 ashes without lava), 1823, and 1840. 



The author notices particularly the great earthquakes and other 

 volcanic phenomena of the year 1868. The first earthquake oc- 

 curred on the evening of the 17th January ; and the shocks continued 

 to be felt, with more or less severity and frequency, throughout the 

 year. The author noted those observed by him, with particulars of 

 the time of the day at which they occurred and the strength of the 

 shocks. The shocks were most frequent from the 28th March to 

 the 6th April, during which period they appear, from the author's 

 Tables, to have been almost incessant. His general results are 

 summed up in the following Table : — 



* The author having been absent from Hawaii. 



