AFRO-INDIAN REGIONS. 



463 



the rate of four square miles ten feet deep annually ; independent 

 of the accumulating process going on simultaneously in the summit of 

 Mauna Roa. 



The thin scraggy Metrosideros woods continued ; especially where the 

 lava-surface was much broken up; but in various places, the trees had 

 been recently overrun and destroyed by fires. In the afternoon, trees 

 rather suddenly ceased ; by the Metrosideros becoming dwarfed, and with 

 the accompanying shrubs, everywhere gnarled and stunted, assuming 

 the aspect of mountain-exposure. Half a mile beyond, and at the 

 elevation of " 6071 feet," we established our 5th encampment ; after- 

 wards a fixed station, from being the highest point on the mountain 

 where wood for fuel is procurable. Throughout most of the day, 

 the Santalum continued rather frequent, occurring however only in 

 the form of a shrub : of other Tropical plants reaching the elevation 

 of this encampment, I can enumerate only; the Dodoncea, orange-fruited 

 gen. Goffeac. (No. 2), Daphne, DianeUa, and Pittosporum (No. 5) : a full 

 list of all the plants observed here will be given presently. 



7. The Hawaiian Mountain-region. 



Upper portion of Mauna Eoa. The Third day was spent at this 

 encampment ; and towards sunset, the country below became gradu- 

 ally concealed from view by clouds collecting at our feet : and re- 

 maining stationary and well-defined ; like a sea of intensely white, 

 fleecy, feathery snow-drifts, extending outwards from the mountain- 

 side, all around to the horizon. In many repetitions of this spectacle 

 witnessed afterwards, the sea of snow-drifts always formed at almost 

 exactly this same level. The evenness was however interrupted over 

 the Great Crater, by the smoke-like vapor rising so high as to be inter- 

 sected half-way; its place in the daytime being marked by a huge 

 heap of these fleecy snow-drifts ; that at night were illuminated by the 

 fire beneath, as though the volcano was bursting through the clouds. 

 The mockery of so much seeming fire aggravated the surrounding 

 chilliness ; for with the continued aridity, the nights at this encamp- 

 ment were cold : while the days were oppressively warm, through 

 reverberation of the sun's rays from the lava-surface. 



Nearly one-half of the mountain-surface around consisted of bare 

 lava ; the remainder being the patches of soil in the inequalities : there 



