1866.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society . 213 



Fodder. — We found an abundant supply of good fodder : grass of 

 two kinds principally, (some Andropogon and Pogonatherum crinituni) 

 growing generally over the Island, excepting the parts covered with 

 lava and scorise from the volcano. Arrangements were at once made to 

 cut down and take on hoard as much as possible, and with the sixty 

 coolies we had, we were able, during the two days we lay off the Island, 

 to ship what was estimated to be about a month's supply for the whole 

 of the cattle in the Settlement. 



General Description of the Island, — The Island is of an 

 irregular circular form, the greatest diameter of which is about 

 two miles ; in the centre of the Island is a regular cone of grey 

 ashes, which from a distance looks quite round and smooth, with 

 no vegetation of any kind on its surface ; and from its apex, during 

 the whole of the time we were there, clouds of white watery and 

 sulphurous vapours were evolved. Around the base of the cone is 

 an annular valley enclosed by a circular wall, the inner sides of which 

 are smooth and regular, with a slope of from 30° to 40°, but the outer 

 sides are more rugged, and send irregular spurs towards the sea. The 

 height of the surrounding wall varies : towards the south-west, it is a 

 little higher than the cone, but throughout the most of its circuit it is 

 lower, and towards the western part of it, there is a gap, through which 

 the lava seems to have flowed into the sea and formed a small Bay, 

 which we found the only practicable landing-place , Across the small 

 Bay, there issued, from underneath the lava, a series of hot springs 

 mixing with the water of the sea, which at many places was quite 

 hot ; at low tide, in one place where vapour was arising, the temper- 

 ature of the water, where it was seen to bubble up, was found to be 

 163° F. and at another 158° F. Surrounding the base of the cone, the 

 valley is filled with black irregular masses of lava, which seem to have 

 run in a stream towards the gap, through which it found an exit. 

 Between the black masses of lava and the outer wall, the valley is 

 covered with long bamboo grass, and the soil seems to be sand mixed 

 with ashes, while the slopes of the outer wall afford the other descrip- 

 tion of grass discovered (Pogonatherum criniium). 



Water. — No water of any description could be found on the 

 Island. An attempt was made to dig a well, but by the time they had 



