MAUNA LOA. 171 



enveloped the hills of Kohala on our right, and the western extremity 

 of Hawaii. Nearer to us was Hualalai, the third great mountain of 

 Hawaii, up whose sides a compact mass of white fleecy clouds was 

 impelled by the sea-breeze. To our right rose in bold relief Mauna 

 Kea, covered with its snowy mantle ; and at our feet was spread out, 

 between the three great mountains, the black plain of lava, overhung 

 by a dusky pall of clouds. All these features were so blended into 

 each other by the mist, as to exhibit a tone of harmony that could 

 hardly be conceived, considering the variety of the forms, characters, 

 and distances of the objects, and which seemed to blend earth, sea, 

 and sky into one. I can never hope again to witness so sublime a 

 scene, to gaze on which excited such feelings that I felt relieved 

 when I turned from it to engage in the duties that had called me to 

 the spot. 



It was not without some nervous excitement that I placed my 

 instrument on the highest point of Mauna Loa, within a few feet of 

 its crater, and turned it upon Mauna Kea, to measure the difference 

 in the heig^ht of these twin giants of the Pacific. 



The very idea of standing on the summit of one of the highest 

 peaks in the midst of this vast ocean, in close proximity to a precipice 

 of profound depth, overhanging an immense crater " outrageous as a 

 sea," with molten rock, would have been exciting even to a strong 

 man ; but the sensation was overpowering to one already exhausted 

 by breathing the rarefied air, and toiling over the lava which this huge 

 cauldron must have vomited forth in quantities sufficient to form a 

 dome sixty miles in diameter, and nearly three miles in height. 



I was still in doubt which mountain I should find the highest ; for 

 although previous measurements had given it in favour of Mauna 

 Kea, yet I had found Mauna Loa about three hundred feet higher 

 than it had been reported to be. Double the zenith angle was soon ob- 

 tained, and decided it in favour of Mauna Kea, and subsequent calcu- 

 lations gave one cone of it as one hundred and ninety-three feet above 

 the place where I stood. Although twin mountains, they are of very 

 different character. Mauna Kea is a vast mound topped with cones, 

 nine in number, whilst Mauna Loa is a smooth dome. On the former 

 the frosts of winter prevail, while the latter has internal fires, and 

 occasionally vomits forth its lava to the very point where the other 

 begins to rise, covering its broad flanks with layers of rocks. 



We had not much time to spare, and as soon as Lieutenant Budd 

 joined me, we continued our route, in order to reach the encampment 



