216 HAWAII. 



and appeared to have been vomited forth through a chain of vents in 

 a highly heated state, spreading destruction around, and leaving not a 

 vestige of the forest remaining, although it covered a space of about 

 two miles square. Scoria which had been pressed or had run off to 

 the edges, had overthrown all the bushes and trees with which it had 

 come in contact; these remained unconsumed, proving conclusively 

 that the scoria had been much less heated, or had cooled so rapidly as 

 not to have injured the vegetation. 



The direction of the course of this stream was east-northeast, through 

 a dense forest. Owing to the great roughness of the field, they were 

 not able to walk upon it : its margin was equally impassable, owing to 

 the entangled state of the bushes and trees, which had been pressed 

 together by the lava. Taking a parallel course with this eruption, 

 they suddenly came upon a pit-crater, which is named on the map 

 " the Old Crater." This they found to be one hundred and fifty feet 

 deep, and covered with bushes ; its diameter is about one mile. To- 

 wards the centre, steam was issuing from some small cracks. They 

 now ascended part of Moku-opuhi, but found themselves soon on the 

 edge of another pit-crater, the deepest they had yet seen : the walls 

 of this appeared to be of more recent date than the others, for the north 

 part of the hill bounded it, and it was supposed to be eighteen hundred 

 feet deep. 



The old bank to the south was clothed with bushes : the part of 

 this which they ascended proved very treacherous to the footing, and 

 occasioned no small panic, as it gave way underneath their feet, 

 threatening them with instant destruction. 



On the 1st of January, they pursued some of the steam-vents, until 

 they reached the Pahuhali road. Here Mr. Brinsmade left them, to 

 proceed on his way to Hilo, where he shortly afterwards embarked 

 for Oahu, with his health (as he -wrote me) quite re-established, not- 

 withstanding the fatigue and exposure he had undergone. To his 

 agreeable disposition on the journey, and his kind attention to us during 

 our stay in these islands, we feel ourselves greatly indebted. 



Messrs. Drayton and Brackenridge continued their route to Pahu- 

 hali, where they procured a guide to take them to the lava stream. 

 Pahuhali is a small village situated one and a half miles from it. They 

 soon reached the great flow, which had spread destruction throughout 

 its course, leaving nothing standing that came in its way. It was 

 from one to three miles wide : down its middle was seen the long 

 channel or rent from which the stream had poured forth, running for 

 the most part smooth, though occasionally in wrinkled and twisted 

 forms, the scoria lying on the outer extremities of the flow, as though 



