On the Geysers of California. 243 



down an axe, which, on the first blow, went through into the 

 deep whirlpool the whole length of the helve. He withdrew 

 it and cut an opening, which revealed a stream of angry water, 

 boiling intensely, and of unknown breadth and depth. He 

 continued to enlarge the opening until the stream was seen 

 to be five or six feet in breadth, leading on indefinitely into 

 the dark caverns beneath the mountains, riri( r t 



" At the base of the cones, in the bottom of the ravines, and 

 in the bed and on the north bank of the river Pluton, springs 

 almost innumerable break out, which are of various qualities 

 and temperatures, from icy coldness up to the boiling point. 

 You may here find sulphur water precisely similar to the 

 celebrated white sulphur of Green Brier County, Va., except 

 its icy coldness ; also red, blue, and even black sulphur water, 

 both cold and hot ; also pure limpid hot water without any 

 sulphur or chlorine salts, calcareous hot waters, magnesian 

 chalybeate, &c, in an almost endless variety. Where the 

 heated sulphuretted hydrogen gas is evolved, water appears 

 to be suddenly formed, beautiful crystals of sulphur deposited, 

 (not sublimed as by fire) and more or less sulphuric acid 

 generated. In some places the acid was found so strong as 

 to turn black kid gloves almost immediately to a deep red. 

 Where the heated gas escapes in the river Pluton, such is 

 the amount of sulphur deposited, that the whole bed of the 

 stream is made white for one or two miles below. Notwith- 

 standing that the rocks and earth in many places are so hot 

 as to burn your feet through the soles of your boots, there 

 is yet no appearance of a volcano in this extraordinary spot. 

 Were the action to cease, it would be difficult, after a few 

 years, to persuade men that it ever existed. There is no 

 appearance of lava. You find yourself not in a solfatara, 

 nor one of the salses, described by Humboldt. The rocks 

 around you are rapidly dissolving under the powerful meta- 

 m orphic action going on. Porphyry and jasper are trans- 

 formed into a kind of potter's clay. Pseudotrappean and 

 magnesian rocks are consumed much like wood in a slow fire, 

 and go to form, sulphate of magnesia and other products. 

 Granite is rendered so soft that you may crush it between 

 your fingers, and cut it as easily as bread unbaked. The 



