DIMENSIONS OF THE CRATER, 255 
its circumference. Mr. Chamberlain walked round 
the northern end from east to west, as near the 
edge as it was prudent to go, and, numbering his 
paces, made that part of it 3 T ^ miles; from which, 
we think, the above estimate does not exceed the 
actual extent of the crater. We also lowered 
down a line two hundred and thirty feet long, but 
it did not reach the horizontal ledge of lava. The 
fissures in the vicinity of the sulphur banks, and 
pools of water, were more numerous, and the 
smoke and vapour that ascended from them 
greater in quantity, than during our first visit. 
The volcano was much more quiescent; but some 
violent convulsions had taken place in the interim, 
for several masses of rock had fallen from the high 
precipices in the neighbourhood. The fires in the 
south and west parts burned but feebly; and 
though there was but little fire in the north and 
east sections of the volcano, it was evident that 
the whole of the lava in this part had been in a 
state of agitation since we had seen it. Some of 
the small craters, on the southern sides of the 
great abyss, were extinguished; but several new 
craters had been formed on the opposite side, and 
bore marks of having been in vigorous action but 
a very short period before. 
In June, 1825, Mr. Stewart accompanied Lord 
Byron, and a party from the Blonde frigate, to 
Kirauea; and the following description of a descent 
to the bottom of the crater, and an eruption that 
took place during the second night, on their 
encampment near its borders, is extracted from 
his account, which has since been published in 
England: 
“ Leaving the sulphur banks on the eastern 
side behind us, we directed our course along the 
