﻿NARCONDAM. 
  31 
  

  

  NARCONDAM. 
  

  

  Narcondam 
  lies 
  about 
  75 
  miles 
  north-north-east 
  of 
  Barren 
  Island. 
  

   Like 
  the 
  latter, 
  it 
  rises 
  abruptly 
  out 
  of 
  deep 
  water, 
  

  

  General 
  appearance. 
  " 
  „ 
  . 
  ., 
  ' 
  

  

  the 
  only 
  recorded 
  sounding 
  oil 
  the 
  coast 
  that 
  

  

  touched 
  bottom 
  being 
  one 
  of 
  450 
  fathoms 
  two 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  south- 
  

   eastern 
  shore. 
  1 
  To 
  speak 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  as 
  a 
  cone 
  conveys 
  a 
  rather 
  

   false 
  impression, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  roughly 
  conical 
  form, 
  with 
  sides 
  deeply 
  

   scored 
  by 
  ravines. 
  The 
  summit, 
  2,330 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  is 
  rather 
  to 
  the 
  

   south 
  of 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  occupied 
  

   by 
  hills 
  of 
  comparatively 
  small 
  altitude. 
  Except 
  along 
  the 
  coast-line, 
  

   where, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  the 
  rocks 
  have 
  been 
  

   eaten 
  back 
  into 
  cliffs, 
  which 
  sometimes 
  tower 
  above 
  the 
  sea 
  to 
  a 
  

   height 
  of 
  several 
  hundred 
  feet, 
  the 
  island 
  is 
  covered, 
  with 
  dense 
  jungle. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  luxuriant 
  forest, 
  but 
  in 
  places, 
  as 
  near 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  

   mountain, 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  scrubby 
  character. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  crater 
  at 
  the 
  summit. 
  The 
  .culminating 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  volcano 
  includes 
  three 
  hummocks, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  

   No 
  crater. 
  

  

  northern 
  is 
  the 
  highest, 
  or 
  175 
  and 
  135 
  feet 
  above 
  

  

  the 
  minor 
  summits 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  south-east. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  these 
  

  

  elevations 
  are 
  the 
  last 
  remnants 
  of 
  a 
  once-existent 
  crater, 
  of 
  which 
  all 
  else 
  

  

  has 
  vanished 
  through 
  the 
  assaults 
  of 
  time 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  question 
  is 
  open 
  to 
  

  

  argument, 
  and 
  will 
  be 
  alluded 
  to 
  again 
  further 
  on. 
  Mr. 
  Ball 
  has 
  rightly 
  

  

  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  what 
  Dr. 
  McClelland 
  (judging 
  from 
  a 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  island 
  only) 
  took 
  for 
  " 
  lava 
  currents 
  descending 
  from 
  the 
  crater 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  base 
  " 
  are 
  merely 
  the 
  deep 
  ravines 
  already 
  alluded 
  to. 
  

  

  Neither 
  at 
  the 
  summit, 
  nor 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  part 
  of 
  

   Volcano 
  extinct. 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  the 
  island, 
  was 
  the 
  faintest 
  sign 
  of 
  recent 
  volcanic 
  

  

  activity 
  observed. 
  

  

  Specimens 
  of 
  the 
  lavas 
  were 
  collected 
  from 
  the 
  highest 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  mountain, 
  and 
  from 
  different 
  localities 
  on 
  the 
  

   Character 
  of 
  lavas. 
  

  

  ascent, 
  and 
  around 
  the 
  coast. 
  They 
  are 
  all 
  

  

  compact 
  or 
  very 
  slightly 
  vesicular 
  lava, 
  in 
  which 
  crystals 
  of 
  white 
  trans- 
  

   1 
  Bay 
  of 
  Bengal 
  Pilot, 
  p. 
  256. 
  

  

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  281 
  ) 
  

  

  