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130 A BOTANICAL TOUR AMONG THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS.
islands that there is a traditional story among the Tanese to the effect that a
number of natives, among whom were several great, chiefs, were once looking
down, when the mountain, displeased with the acts of the latter, caused the
side upon which they were standing to give way, and all were precipitated into
the yawning gulf. The mouth is oblong, and in its great width rather more
than a quarter of a mile. In this chasm, at not less than six hundred feet, can
plainly be seen a huge burning mass, and apparently only a few feet below this
tlie crater seems to be divided into two orifices, from one only of which is there
eruption. Before an explosion, warning is given to the beholders by an out-
burst of smoke, which ascends quickly to the top. Scarcely has it reached the
mouth of the crater, when a terrible rumbhng, almost deafening, noise is heard,
and the explosion forces into the air, several hundred feet higher than the top
of the crater, tons of burning lava, in pieces varying from the size of a marble
to several hundredweiglit. Sometimes the lava conies down vertically, but
more frequently cin-ved outwards from the mouth of tlie crater, and assumes
various forms by reason of its soft doughy nature. I should have remained at
least an hour, gazing in wonder and admiration at this most sublime spectacle,
but, unfortunately, a strong south-westerly affected the regions below, and the
air was at once filled with a dense sulphurous smoke which was almost unbear-
able. I descended to my guides, who, in the meantime, had been indulging iu
a pipe of tobacco. After leaving the volcano a couple of miles, again my eyes
wandered over the vegetation. Strange to say, the Commodore at the time of
his visit discovered a small Fern near to the mouth of the crater, which was
the only scrap of vegetation, living or dead, within at least a mUe and a half of
it. This Fern, although not yet in seed, I believe to be a new Nephrolepis
but whatever generic name for it we may be able to determine, it shall bear
the specific one Lamherti, in honour of its cUscoverer.
During my journey to tlie volcano, I found several new and interesting
plants, t^vo of which were an Erylhrina and an Eranthemum. But during my toilsome
ramble in the forenoon, some eight or ten miles into the interior, I found,
what, without doubt, for beauty and magnificence is unequalled in the flora of
Polynesia, and perhaps not surpassed for elegance and splendoui- in any part of
tile world. It was a single tree of a species of Inocarpus, growing to about fifteen
feet, probably its full height, its leaves were long and graceful, and of so intense
a golden yellow, and its stem scarcely less so, as to almost charm me as I stood
beneatii it in silent admiration. But, alas ! tliere were neither seeds, seedlings,
nor suckers. In vain did I look for them and for other specimens of the tree,
but there were none near, and what did I not offer to my guides to take me to
where they could be found ? Tlie natives indicated by signs and a few words
of broken English that there were other trees of it upon the other side of the
mountain, but were we to venture further the natives would kill me. I liad,
tlierefore, to content myself with cuttings, which I helped myself to pretty
freely, but which, I regret to say, in spite of all my care, died a week or two
after we left Tana. My guides and myself rested for half an hour beneath
that most beautiful and indescribable object (with reluctance I left it), whose
fohage in the bright sun cast over us a shade of golden yellow. I had heard of
;