JETNA. 
635 
biing drafts ; the roaring of the furnaces, and the crackling of the 
ilames, were the music of their dance, and the red flaming surge waS 
the surf wherein they played, sportively swimming on the rolling wave. 
The history which they gave of these gods was wild, marvellous, 
romantic, and superstitious, but from the narration an allegory might 
easily be extracted, which requires no great share of ingenuity to 
reconcile with fact. 
** The volcano of Kirauea, the largest of which we have any account, 
and which was, until visited by us, unknown to the civilized parts of 
the world, is situated in the district of Kapapala, about twenty miles 
from the sea shore. We could form no correct estimate of its ele- 
vation above the level of the sea. The only means we ha,d of judging 
being the difference of temperature in the air, as shewn by our ther- 
mometer, which on the shore was usually at sunrise 71S but which 
in the neighbourhood of the volcano, was, at the same hour, no higher 
than 46®. The upper edge of the crater being measured with a line, 
was found to be seven miles and a half in circumference. We then 
descended, and measured the side of the ledge, and satisfied ourselves 
that at the depth of live hundred or six hundred feet the circumfe- 
rence is at least five miles and a half. We did not get the exact 
depth, but judge it to be not less than one thousand feet. We threw 
down some large stones from the place near our hut, which after 
several seconds struck on the sides, and then bounded down to the 
bottom where they were lost in the lava. When they reached the 
bottom they appeared like pebbles, and we were obliged to w'atch 
their course to perceive them at all. 
“ But the magnificent fires of Kirauea which we had viewed with 
such admiration, appeared to dwindle into insignificance, when we 
thought of the probable subterranean fires iminediately beneath us. 
The whole island of Hawaii, covering a space of tour thousand square 
miles, from the summits of its lofty mountains, perhaps sixteen thou- 
sand feet above the level of the sea, down to the beach, is, according 
to every observation we could make, one complete mass of lava, or 
other volcanic matter, in different stages of decomposition. Perfo- 
rated with innumerable apertures in the shape of craters, the island 
forms a hollow cone over one vast furnace, situated in the heart of a 
stupendous submarine mountain, rising from the bottom of the sea ; 
or possibly the fires may rage w ith augmented force beneath the bed 
of the ocean, rearing, through the superincumbent weight of water, the 
base of Hawaii, and at the same time forming a pyramidical funnel 
from the furnace to the atmosphere.” 
This burning mountain of Sicily was represented, in the heathen 
mythology, as the place where Vulcan superintended the forges of 
the Cyclops, who were continually engaged in making thunderbolts 
for Jupiter. 
“ On their eternal anvils there be found, 
The brethren beating, and the blows go round.” 
