56 
MISSIONARY TOUR 
narrow ridge of volcanic rocks, was another, fifty-six 
feet in circumference, from which volumes of sulphure¬ 
ous smoke and vapour continually ascended. No bottom 
could be seen; and on throwing stones into it, they were 
heard to strike against its sides for eight seconds, but 
not to reach the bottom. There were two other aper¬ 
tures near this, nine feet in diameter, and apparently 
about 200 feet deep. As the party walked along the 
giddy verge of the large crater, they could distinguish 
the course of two principal streams, that had issued from 
it in the great eruption, about the year 1800. One had 
taken a direction nearly north-east; the other had 
flowed to the north-west, in broad irresistible torrents, 
for a distance of twelve or fifteen miles to the sea, where, 
driving back the waters, it had extended the bounda¬ 
ries of the island. They attempted to descend this 
crater, but the steepness of its sides prevented their 
examining it so fully as they desired. 
After spending some time there, they walked along 
the ridge between three and four miles, and examined 
sixteen different craters, similar in construction to the 
first they had met with, though generally of smaller di¬ 
mensions. The whole ridge, along which they walked, 
appeared little else than a continued line of craters, 
which, in different ages, had deluged the valleys below 
with floods of lava, or showers of burning cinders. 
Some of these craters appeared to have reposed for 
ages, as trees of considerable size were growing on 
their sides, and many of them were covered with earth, 
and clothed with verdure. In the vicinity of the craters 
they found a number of small bushes, bearing red ber¬ 
ries in crowded clusters, which, in size and shape, 
much resembled whortleberries ; though insipid, they 
