H A W A I I A N D O A H U. 109 



The temperature at night fell to 40°. 



The beautiful columnar cloud of the volcano of Kilauea, which is 

 always seen to hang over the crater, both by day and by night, was 

 now in full view. 



The next day they were on their route early, and passed some rich 

 grazing country, with the grass full four feet high. From all appear- 

 ances, these parts are not visited by cattle. There were many trees 

 of koa (Acacia), Edwardsia, &c., as before. A fog coming on, they 

 lost their way, and were obliged to retrace their steps. Our gentle- 

 men, having their pocket-compasses, now took the lead, to the no 

 small astonishment of their guides, that they could, in a thick fog, 

 direct the way through places they had never visited before. Kimo, 

 their Oahu guide, again gave out, and was left to follow ; and as he 

 did not come up as soon as he was expected, the guides and natives set 

 out, in a praiseworthy manner, to hunt him up, although they were 

 all more or less lamed by crossing over the rough lava during the day. 

 They soon succeeded in finding him, and returned to the camp. 



On the 22d, they reached the volcano, and considered themselves 

 amply repaid for the rough travelling they had gone through for six 

 days previously. As I shall have occasion to speak more fully of 

 this portion of the island, with its many craters and its volcanic 

 action, I shall defer the account of it for the present. 



Our gentlemen now set out for Hilo, where they arrived the day 

 after, having travelled a distance of one hundred and fifty miles. 

 Here they again embarked on board the Flying-Fish, which sailed 

 for Oahu, and reached Honolulu on the 28th of November. 



The squadron was now on the eve of sailing, having on board stores 

 and provisions for a long cruise. As this winter's cruising was par- 

 ticularly intended to examine the portion of ocean that was not 

 included in my instructions, I shall, before narrating the details of 

 the proceedings of the squadron, give, in a general view, the intended 

 operations. 



The movements of the squadron were, at this time, particularly 

 directed to the examination of parts of the ocean possessing great 

 interest in their connexion with that important branch of national 

 industry, the whale-fishery ; and the course I proposed to adopt will 

 be understood from the following statement of the objects I now had 

 in view. 



The Porpoise, as before remarked, had been sent towards the 

 Paumotu Group, or Dangerous Archipelago, lying to the eastward 



VOL. IV. 8S 



