THROUGH HAWAII 
249 
west direction, nearly parallel with the south-east 
shore, from which its base was generally distant twenty 
or thirty miles. A ridge of high land appeared to ex¬ 
tend from the eastern point to the south-west shore. 
Between it and the foot of Mouna-Boa was a valley, 
as near as we could judge, from seven to twelve miles 
wide. The summit of Mouna-Iloa was never free from 
snow, the higher parts of the mountain’s side were 
totally destitute of every kind of vegetation; and by 
the help of a telescope we could discover numerous 
extinguished craters, with brown and black streams of 
indurated lava over the whole extent of its surface. 
The foot of the mountain was enriched on this side by 
trees and shrubs, which extended from its base six or 
seven miles towards the summit. 
The volcano of Kirauea, the largest of which w r e have 
any account, and which was, until visited by us, un¬ 
known to the civilized parts of the world, is situated in 
the district of Kapapala, nearly on the boundary line 
between the divisions of Kaii and Puna, twenty miles 
from the sea-shore. We could form no correct estimate 
of its elevation above the level of the sea; the only 
means we had of judging being the difference of tempera¬ 
ture in the air, as shewn by our thermometer, which, on 
the shore, was usually at sunrise 71°, but which, in the 
neighbourhood of the volcano, was, at the same hour, no 
higher than 46°. From the isthmus between Riranea- 
nui , or Great Kirauea, and Little Kirauea, the highest 
peak of Mouna-Kea bore by compass N. n. w. and the 
centre of Mouna-Boa w. s. w. The uneven summits of 
the steep rocks, that, like a wall, many miles in extent, 
surrounded the crater and all its appendages, shewed 
the original level of the country, or perhaps marked the 
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