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of Edinburgh, Session 1875 - 76 . 
feet in height, being in many places divided into close parallel 
ridges, showing the height to which the lava had reached before 
breaking out at a lower level. There were two large sulphur beds 
at the side of the outer crater, about 2 miles distant from each 
other, and pieces of native sulphur could be picked up, each with 
a hole in its centre, showing that the vapour had solidified round 
the hole from which it had emerged. The floor of the outer crater 
was composed of black lava, several acres of wdiich were covered 
over one night by the lava breaking out at a side of the lowermost 
edge of the outer crater, quite distant from the inner one. 
Our first descent was made at night by means of some rustic 
staircases cut in the sides of the ridges, and assisted by whatever 
brushwood might be growing on the sides. At last our party 
were landed on a floor of black lava, all seamed with cracks and 
contorted into curious shapes, sometimes like a mass of cable ropes 
mingled together, at others showing large pudding-like excrescences, 
which are dangerous to walk upon, since they are simply large 
bubbles with a thin covering, to guard against which each visitor 
carries a thick stick wherewith to test the ground before him. 
After walking for about half an hour on this black lava, and 
crossing innumerable cracks of from three inches to a foot in width, 
some of which showed a white line of fire about 6 feet beneath, the 
gradual ascent to the inner crater was reached. Its position in 
regard to the general form of the outer crater may be said to be in 
one of its foci, and its size, by estimation, about a ^ mile long by J 
broad. The increasing glare and smoke now warned us of our 
proximity to the more active parts, while here and there on the 
outer side of the inner crater were some bright red streaks, which, 
on our closer approach, turned out to be red hot lava flowing through 
holes in the outer side of the inner crater on to the general surface 
of the outer one. 
The ascent of some 70 feet to the top of the inner crater is a 
gradual one, and considerable detours bad to be taken to get round 
the parts which were being overflowed. The lava of its sides was 
twisted about and broken up in a most ugly manner, besides being 
so rotten as to break away in flakes whenever a foot was put upon 
it. The greatest caution was needed to test the ground before 
treading on it, and frequent play had to be made wdth our thick 
