MAUI. 255 



Our gentlemen made excursions to the crater, and descended into it. 

 The break to the north appears to have been occasioned by the violence 

 of volcanic action within. There does not appear any true lava stream 

 on the north, but there is a cleft or valley which has a steep descent : 

 here the soil was found to be of a spongy nature, and many interesting 

 plants were found, among the most remarkable of which was the 

 arborescent Geranium. 



The floor of the crater, in the north branch, is extremely rough and 

 about two miles wide at the apex, which extends to the sea. In the 

 ravines there is much compact argillaceous rock, similar to what had 

 been observed on Mauna Kea, retaining, like it, pools of water. The 

 rock, in general, was much less absorbent than on the mountains of 

 Hawaii. 



Mr. Drayton made an accurate drawing or plan of the crater, the 

 distances on which are estimated, but the many cross bearings serve 

 to make its relative proportions correct. Perhaps the best idea that 

 can be given of the size of this cavity, is by the time requisite to make 

 a descent into it being one hour, although the depth is only two thou- 

 sand feet. The distance from the middle to either opening was up- 

 wards of five miles ; that to the eastward was filled with a line of hills 

 of scoria, some of them five or six hundred feet high ; under them was 

 lying a lava stream, that, to appearance, was nearly horizontal, so 

 gradual was its fall. The eastern opening takes a short turn to the 

 southeast, and then descends rapidly to the coast. 



At the bottom were found beds of hard gravel, and among it what 

 appeared to be carbonate of lime, and detached black crystals like 

 augite, but chrysolite was absent. 



From the summit of the mountain the direction of the lava stream 

 could be perceived, appearing, as it approached the sea, to assume 

 more the shape of a delta. 



From the summit the whole cleft or crater is seen, and could be 

 traced from the highest point between the two coasts, flowing both to 

 the northward and eastward. Volcanic action seems also to have 

 occurred on the southwest side, for a line of scoria hills extends all the 

 way down the mountain, and a lava stream is said to have burst forth 

 about a century ago, which still retains its freshness. The scoria hills 

 on the top very much resemble those of Mauna Kea, but the mountain 

 itself appears wholly unlike either of the two in Hawaii, and sinks 

 into insignificance when compared with them. 



Although I have mentioned lava streams on this mountain, yet they 

 are not to be understood as composed of true lava, as on Mauna Loa ; 



