306 P.EOCEEDINGS OP THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [March 25, 



ashes, strewn to the depth of several feet down the monntain-side, 

 had killed all the trees and shrnbs near the top, and even near the 

 sea ; nothing was living in places but the Casuarina, with its leaves 

 scorched white. There is no coral to be seen about this island. 



Tanna I have only seen from a distance : the flames going up from 

 it can be seen a very long way at night ; but I do not think it is 

 so violent as Ambrym. The little Island of Paama, near Lopevi, 

 has a coral patch to the south-west of it, but has no coral rocks out 

 of water. Lepers' Island has oue or two shoals, with coral on them ; 

 but appears to be altogether volcanic. Star Island has no coral 

 cliffs, and, as far as I know, no shoals ; it goes down steep to 

 the sea, and has deep water close to the rocks. There is no water 

 at Lepers' Island, except what is filtered into little pools in the 

 sand from the sea. At Mora Lava (Star Island) there is always 

 water in the crater, but, except just after rain, no other but that 

 obtained as at Lepers' Island. 



Yanna Lava (Great Banks's Island) is the largest island of the 

 Banks's group. It has seven rounded hills, irreg-ularly forming the 

 letter S, The upper or northern and central hills are joined by low 

 land ; the bases of all run into one another at a height of from 400 

 to 800 feet above the sea-level. There are no craters visible, except 

 the active one ; its hill is more pointed than the rest ; aU, however, 

 seem to be volcanic. 



On the 13th of July we set out to see the " ours," as the natives 

 call the hot springs. After a walk of some hours we crossed a brook 

 rushing down amongst huge boulders coated with a white deposit. 

 The water was lukewarm, whitish, and sent up a cream}- -looking 

 acid vapour. Suddenly we came to the top of a ridge, and going down 

 a very steep path found a small stream of warm water, smelling of 

 sulphuretted hydrogen. We saw that a few hundi^ed yards further 

 up the stream smoke was coming out of the opposite bank ; but we 

 went on, up through some scrub, until we came to an open space of 

 about an acre with little funnels all over it, throwing off fumes of 

 sulphur ; the larger ones had raised tumuli of sulphur round them. 

 In one hollow these were quite thick together and sent up a light 

 smoke, which we can usually see from our anchorage, six miles distant 

 in a straight line. About half-an -hour's walk brought us to another 

 of these places, much smaller, but with hotter fires than the lower 

 one. The natives, knocking off the top of one of the sulphur heaps 

 with their sticks, made a little eruption ; the lumps that fell down 

 the chimney were thrown up into the air, knocking away more of 

 the top of the heap, and scattering it in aU directions. We crossed 

 a little stream, but came upon it again higher up, and walked up its 

 bed to the springs. The water was milky-looking, semitransparent, 

 without any particularly offensive smell. It was just as hot as we 

 could bear. The source of this stream is a pool or small lake about 

 fifty yards long. At the end nearest the outlet it boils up with 

 what must be nearly cold water, for it gives out no steam. At the 

 other end the banks rise and narrow the lake into a little gorge; the 

 end of it is hidden by a constant jet of steam 5 or 6 feet in diameter. 



