834 THE WONDERS OF GEOLOGY. Lect. VIII. 



feet lower. It was evident that the large crater had been recently 

 filled with liquid lava up to this ledge, and had, by some subterranean 

 channel, emptied itself into the sea, or upon the low land on the shore ; 

 and in all probability, this evacuation had caused the inundation of 

 the Kapapala coast, which took place, as we afterwards learned, about 

 three weeks prior to our visit. The grey, and in some places 

 apparently calcined sides of the great crater before us— the fissures 

 which intersected the surface of the plain on which we were standing 

 —the long banks of sulphur on the opposite sides of the abyss— the 

 vigorous action of the numerous small craters on its borders — the 

 dense columns of vapour and smoke that rose out of it, at the north 

 and south ends of the plain, together with the ridge of steep rocks by 

 which it was surrounded, rising three or four hundred feet in perpen- 

 dicular height— presented an immense volcanic panorama, the effect 

 of which was greatly augmented by the constant roaring of the vast 

 furnaces below."* 



17. Mr. Stewart's visit to Kirauea. — In June 

 1825, Mr. Stewart, accompanied by Lord Byron, and a 

 party from the Blonde frigate, went to Kirauea, and 

 descended to the bottom of the crater. 



" The general aspect of the crater," observes Mr. Stewart, 

 " may be compared to that which the Otsego Lake would 

 present, if the ice with which it is covered in winter were 

 suddenly broken up by a heavy storm, and as suddenly 

 frozen again, while large slabs and blocks were still top- 

 pling, and dashing, and heaping against each other, with 

 the motion of the waves. At midnight the volcano sud- 

 denly began roaring, and labouring with redoubled activity, 

 and the confusion of noises was prodigiously great. The 

 sounds were not fixed or confined to one place, but rolled 

 from one end of the crater to the other; sometimes seeming 

 to be immediately under us, when a sensible tremor of the 

 ground on which we lay took place ; and then again rush- 

 ing on to the farthest end with incalculable velocity. Almost 

 at the same instant a dense column of heavy black smoke 

 was seen rising from the crater directly in front, the BUb- 



* Ellin's Polynesian Researches, vol. iv. 



