190 K I L A U E A. 



must here undergo a total change ; and there appeared nothing be- 

 longing to this world at hand with which to form a comparison. 



Our party seemed absolutely lost in this immense pit. It takes 

 some time before the eye can embrace the whole, or become in any 

 way accustomed to the scene around ; and I therefore ceased to 

 wonder at the discrepancies in the descriptions I had heard of it. 

 From this cause, and the want of any accurate drawings by preceding 

 visiters, I was unable to arrive at any distinct knov^dedge of the 

 changes it has undergone; but I hope that our observations and 

 survey will prevent this from being the case hereafter. 



The varieties of lava that are met with are not the least striking 

 part of this phenomenon. The description which appears to pre- 

 dominate is of a dark hue, and metallic lustre ; it lies in a layer a 

 foot thick, and is quite solid : the others are less dense, more vesicular 

 and vitreous. Each separate flow seems to differ from the succeeding 

 one, and can be easily recognised. It afforded us some amusement 

 to trace the extent and character of the several beds. That which 

 was ignited dxiring our stay was in many parts so vitreous as to be 

 almost obsidian. Pumice is generally found in small lumps on the 

 plain above ; but I do not now remember, nor does my note-book 

 make any mention, that pumice had been seen in the crater. 



As the layers or strata of basalt increase in thickness, they become 

 more compact. The absence of clinkers and of any flow of lava on 

 the plain, prove conclusively that Kilauea has never overflowed its 

 banks. 



The crevice to the south extends for a great distance, and may be 

 traced by the steam issuing from it ; it is not, however, to be consi- 

 dered as continuous, for the cracks are of different lengths, and some- 

 times overlap each other, and again are intermitted for hundreds of 

 yards. Large quantities of Pele's hair was seen covering the plain. 



In order to show how difficult it is to fix upon the recollection the 

 actual state of the crater, and the position of things around, I may 

 state, that one of our gentlemen insisted upon it that the large " blow- 

 ing cone," near the north side of the black ledge, had been thrown 

 up since our first visit, although it was then, as it continued to be, 

 one of the most conspicuous objects in the crater, and likely to attract 

 particular notice. It was difficult to convince him that it had been 

 there during his first visit, until I showed him a camera lucida 

 sketch that I had taken of the crater, on which it appeared conspi- 

 cuous in the foreground. 



