considerable eruption and lava-flow occurred in 1843, another of less consequence in 1851 ; and in 1852 a great lava-stream issued from, the side of the mountain, at an elevation of about 10,000 feet, and flowed westwards for about thirty miles without reaching the sea. In 1855-56 the most extensive eruption on record occurred. The lava issued from a fissure on the western slope of Mount Loa, at an elevation of about 12,000 feet, flowed first in a north-westerly- direction down to the central plateau, and then, turning westward, took the direction of Hilo. This lava-stream flowed for thirteen months, travelled a distance of sixty miles, and covered nearly 300 square miles of ground. In 1859 an eruption commenced at an elevation of about 9000 feet, from a crater 500 feet in diameter ; the flow of lava continued for six months, passing across the central plateau in a north-easterly direction, skirting the volcano of Hualalai, and reaching the shore between Kiholo and Wainaualii, where it forms a distinct promontory. This lava-stream destroyed the village of Kiholo. The chief lava-flows from Mount Loa have taken a more or less northerly direction ; and the author ascribes the lavas of the south-western portion of the island, especially the district of Puna, to the activity of the great crater of Kilauea (elevation 3970 feet), the appearance of which he describes. Eruptions of Kilauea took place, according to the author, in 1789 (consisting of sand and ashes without lava), 1823, and 1840.
The author notices particularly the great earthquakes and other volcanic phenomena of the year 1868. The first earthquake occurred on the evening of the 17th January ; and the shocks continued to be felt, with more or less severity and frequency, throughout the year. The author noted those observed by him, with particulars of the time of the day at which they occurred and the strength of the shocks. The shocks were most frequent from the 28th March to the 6th April, during which period they appear, from the author's Tables, to have been almost incessant. His general results are summed up in the following Table : —
Month. Very Heavy. Heavy. Moderate. Light. Total.
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Grand total
- The author having been absent from Hawaii.
