RECENT VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS IN THE WEST INDIES. 269 
which, however, were seldom perfect, as one side had generally been 
removed by the stream as it cut its way deeper, and left the remains 
of the bowl standing as a depression in its bank. Surrounding the bowl 
w T as a low cone of debris , consisting of the stones and larger fragments 
which had been thrown up and fallen dowm around it, while the lighter 
sand was carried away by the wind. These new valleys, with their 
details—the terraces and stearn-bowls and the associated fans and 
deltas—constitute another geographical change. 
Tho shore deposits deserve a separate mention. On the windward 
coast especially, the amount of sand brought down by the streams 
had been so great that for 2 or 3 miles a new beach had been formed 
by the mud carried along the coast by the waves, where formerly 
the sea reached the foot of the cliffs; but this will no doubt eventually 
be washed away again. 
We looked carefully for signs of general upheaval or depression of 
land, but without finding any. The rise and fall of the tide amounts 
to only about 2 feet, and the sea has made very definite marks along 
the face of the cliffs wdiere they happen to be composed of lava or hard 
tuff. We w T ere satisfied that no alteration of level more than a few 7 
inches could have taken place, and our boatmen, wdio knew the place 
w r ell, w T ere of the same opinion. There w r as, however, one very re¬ 
markable instance of a local subsidence which deserves notice. 
At the mouth of the Wallibu valley, on the leeward side, extending 
from Richmond village on the south to Morne Ronde on the north, a 
distance of above a mile, there was formerly a low foreshore, along 
which ran the main road. It whs described to us as having been 
covered with palm trees and luxuriant tropical growth, and studded 
with numerous picturesque villages, which nestled in beautiful little 
bays. Similar places still exist just outside the devastated area at 
Chateau Belair, Rose Bank, Barruali, and LayuA Behind the foreshore 
the land rose in steep bluffs composed of fragmentary volcanic deposits 
like the rest of the Wallibu district. On the dav of the great 
eruption the whole of this foreshore subsided into deep water, and as 
submarine slopes here are very steep, it is probable that the earth¬ 
quakes connected with the eruption set up landslides, with the above 
results. It is possible that there may have previously been a fault 
along the line of the foot of the bluff', wdiich determined the actual slip, 
and if this be so it might account for hot water rising here, wdiich 
gave the name of Hot-waters to one spot; but, whatever be the exact 
cause, this subsidence is a geographical change worth mention. 
The next geographical change noted was that the crater has been 
somewhat enlarged, especially at its southern lip, but not to any con¬ 
spicuous extent; it has lost its clothing of vegetation, but this will 
*The last beyond the map. 
