Kelp nyAy ab AS EH ASW ATT. 189 
seen at a distance ; but, there were no inhabitants in that vicinity, and 
it was set down for a jungle on fire. The next day another outbreak 
was distinguished farther towards the coast; and general alarm pre- 
vailed among the natives, now aware of the catastrophe in progress. 
Other openings followed, and by Monday, the Ist of June, the large 
flow had begun, which formed a continuous stream to the sea, where 
it reached on the 3d of June, destroying the small village of Nana- 
wale. This flood issued from several fissures along its whole course, 
instead of being an overflow of lavas from a single opening ; it started 
from an elevation of 1244 feet, as determined by Captain Wilkes, at 
a point twenty-seven miles distant from Kilauea, twenty-two miles 
from the first outbreak, and twelve from the shores. The interval 
between the first appearance of the lavas and this flood presents a few 
patches of ejections, and some steam fissures. 
The extent of these patches was not accurately ascertained. Dr. 
Pickering mentions one small one, just before the last outbreak ; and 
another, much larger, (7) covering probably three or four square miles, 
was observed by him a short distance above. A still larger patch, (77) 
according to a native report, exists about half way from the “ Big 
Crater” (C) and the last outbreak; while still another, on the same 
authority, was seen just north of the “Big Crater.” It is very re- 
markable, as stated by Dr. Pickering, that the line of fracture and 
lava patches should have cut through a high hill just north of 
the “Deep Crater,” (B) and thus avoided this large pit, where it might 
have been supposed there would have been the least resistance to 
fracture. ‘The natives state that the lavas rose to a height of three 
hundred feet in the pit-crater Arare, the first point of outbreak, and 
then sunk again when the next outbreak took place; and the appear- 
ance of scoria within the crater satisfied Dr. Pickering that the lavas 
had risen at the time to the height mentioned. 
The scene of the flowing lavas, as affirmed by those who observed 
it, beggars description. As we learn from an eye-witness, the lavas 
rolled on, sometimes sluggishly, and sometimes violently, receiving 
at times fresh force from new accessions to the fiery stream, and then 
almost ceasing its motion. It swept away forests in its course, at 
times parting and enclosing islets of earth and shrubbery, and at other 
times undermining and bearing along masses of rock and vegetation 
on its surface. Finally it plunged into the sea with loud detonations. 
The burning lava, on meeting the waters, as Mr. Coan states, was 
shivered, like melted glass, into millions of particles, which were 
48 
