On the Volcanic Character of the Island of Hawaii. 253 



with a shining vitreous surface, frequently thrown up by the 

 expansive force of vapour or heated air, into conical mounds, 

 from six to twelve feet high, which were rent in a number of 

 instances from the apex to the base. The hollows between 

 the mounds and long ridges were filled with volcanic sand, 

 or fine particles of decomposed lava. It presented before us 

 a sort of island sea, bounded by mountains in the distance. 

 Once it had certainly been in a fluid state, but appeared to 

 have become suddenly petrified, or turned into a glassy stone, 

 while its agitated billows were rolling to and fro. Not only 

 were the large swells and hollows distinctly marked, but in 

 many places the surface of these billows was covered by a 

 smaller ripple, like that observed on the surface of the sea, at 

 the first springing up of a breeze, or the passing currents of 

 air, which produce what the sailors call a ' cat's-paw.' The 

 sun had risen now in his strength, and his bright rays re- 

 flected from the sparkling sand ; an undulated surface of the 

 vitreous lava dazzled our eyes, and caused considerable pain, 

 particularly as the trade- wind blew fresh in our faces, and 

 continually drove particles of sand into our eyes. This part 

 of our journey was unusually laborious, not only from the heat 

 of the sun, and the reflection from the lava, but also from the 

 unevenness of the surface, which obliged us constantly to tread 

 on an inclined plane, in some places as smooth, and almost as 

 slippery, as glass, where the greatest caution was necessary to 

 avoid a fall : frequently we chose to walk along on the ridge 

 of a billow of lava, though considerably circuitous, rather 

 than pass up and down its polished sides. Taking the trough 

 or billow between the waves, we found safer, but much more 

 fatiguing, as w r e sank every step deep into the sand. Between 

 eleven and twelve o'clock we passed a number of conical hills 

 on our right, which the natives informed us were craters. A 

 quantity of sand was collected around their base, but whether 

 thrown out by them, or drifted thither by the wind, they could 

 not inform us. In their vicinity, we also passed several deep 

 chasms, from which, in a number of places, small columns of 

 vapour arose at different intervals. They appeared to pro- 

 ceed from Kirauea, the great volcano, and extended towards 

 the sea, in a S.E. direction. Probably they are connected 

 with Pouahohoa, and may mark the course of a vast subter- 

 raneous channel, leading from the volcano to the shore. The 

 surface of the lava on both sides was considerably heated, and 

 the vapour had a strong sulphureous smell. 



" "VYe continued our way, beneath the scorching rays of a 

 vertical sun, till about noon, when we reached a solitary tree, 

 growing in a bed of sand, and spreading its roots among the 



crevices 



