194 KILAUEA. 



I must admit I felt perplexed and mortified, not only at the loss of 

 time, but at being unable to detect the cause of the discrepancies. 1 

 determined, however, to persevere, and continued to observe from the 

 1st to the 10th of February, but with no better results, some corre- 

 sponding, whilst others disagreed every alternate series. The deviation 

 was irregular, and having kept a watch upon the apparatus, I began to 

 suspect that the discrepancy was the effect of volcanic action, and that 

 the ground was unstable. To ascertain whether this was the case, I 

 tried a mercurial horizon on the top of the pendulum-frame, and after 

 watching it for nearly an hour, I could perceive no movement or vibra- 

 tion. On inquiry, I found there was a hot spring beyond low-watei 

 mark, which the man who attended the tide-staff had discovered in 

 wading off. This spring was about one hundred and twenty feet from 

 the pendulum-house ; but I at last satisfied myself that the tide, and 

 more particularly the surf, had more to do with it ; and in looking 

 over the series, I found that when the surf was heaviest they were 

 most discordant. 



During this time I was employed in making astronomical observa- 

 tions, and when they were finished, I felt myself at liberty to try other 

 situations for the pendulum observations. Mr. Pitman having offered 

 me his son's house at Paneo, I had every thing transported thither. 

 Paneo is situated on a high bank of lava rock, covered by six or eight 

 feet of decomposed lava rock and vegetable mould. On this soil, large 

 bread-fruit trees, some of them two feet in diameter, were growing. 

 The height of the house above the water was fifty-four feet, and it is 

 removed about three hundred yards from the beach. Between Paneo 

 and Hilo the Wailuku river runs, at whose mouth on the Hilo side, 

 there was generally a long and regular surf rolling in ; but I did not 

 suppose it possible that this surf could incommode the observations. 

 After repairing one of the grass-houses, the pendulum-house and appa- 

 ratus were put up, the whole being in perfect adjustment, and the series 

 was begun. 



The first difficulty I now had to contend with was the stopping of 

 the clock. When this was reported to me, I was almost in despair, 

 for on the other side of the bay it had been proved to go well. The 

 clock was again set in motion, but in a short time again stopped ; and 

 the apparatus was once more to be taken down, and all the adjustments 

 were again to be made, a work of three or four hours. On opening 

 the clock-case, the cause of its stopping was disclosed by the appear- 

 ance of a large spider, which had wound his web so tightly round 

 the fork, and connected it so closely with the case, as to stop the 

 pendulum. Although this was provoking, I was much relieved by 



