'The Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society. From January 1863 to December 1864. (Edited by the Secretary.) Volume XVII.' [‎235] (408/524)

AN ISLAND RISING OUT OF THE SEA.
235
The efifect produced by this eruption was, if possible, more impressive
than that by the former : less beautiful, but more awful. I could
fancy the volcano to have changed from smiles to frowns ; before to
have been the residence of an airy sprite, now of a fiery demon. This
dark smoke did not remain in globular clouds so long as the lucid
vapour; it spread itself in a flaky manner on each side over a space
perhaps of half a mile, brooded as it were over the island, and then
was slowly and sullenly dispersed.
The wind was light, and the “Melville” had made but little progress
in the forenoon ; at 1 p. m., however, she had passed the NE. corner
of the island, when a new and very striking point of view was disclosed.
The immediate source of these eruptions might now be partially seen
as the vapour cleared away. Here was the mouth of the crater. On
this side the island did not rise above the level of the sea, but formed
a bay, indeed a plane section of it may be said to have the shape of a
horse shoe with the sides somewhat beaten out, the open part re
presenting the side of which I am now writing. From this opening
there ebbed a boiling bubbling stream, making its own mark in the
sea for the distance of perhaps of three-fourths of a mile, as a river
will communicate its own colour to the waters of one less rapid at their
junction. Here it seemed as if a continual conflict was waged between
the two elements of fire and water, as the sea would strhe to enter
the mouth of the crater it was opposed by the fire within, repelled in
part with the greatest violence, but succeeded in leaving behind a
foaming steamy charyhidis.
The volcano was in sight from the “Melville” for about 36 hours,
during the whole of which time it was in a state of eruption more or
less violent, the dark or white vapour predominating occasionally, but
more frequently the latter: at 8 p.m., when the ship was 6 or 7 miles
to leeward of the volcano, a great quantity of brown gritty dust fell on
board, and almost every one remarked the very oppressive closeness of
the atmosphere, and the strongly sulphuric odour which penaded it.
The nature of the eruptions was such as I have attempted to
scribe, but upon perusal of what I have written, I am more than
sensible how very much the description must fail i n convening
adequate idea of the grandeur of this phenomenon. We are apt gem -
rally to receive such accounts as these with a certain a. owance