, 1877-05-05

IS 'P'"So give lO:tH steam, gases,
and occasionally lofty Jets of water
Indeed, 1T turned oct that the boiling lake
was situated IN a soufriere the most active
and extensive Ia The entire ArchipeIaro.
Two expedlilcGS to this region had nreced.
ed that OF AIR. Pa grave, who was fortunate
IN having for a companion and guide, DR..
Nichols, a young medical officer, of the
co'ony, aud one Of the original uartv Of
discovery.
The starting place is Roseau. the nrin.
oipal town Of Dominica, on the south
coast Hence you ride up t2e valley on
pouies 10 a hamIet 1900 feet above the SEA.
Beyond his the work is al on foot, first
through tie magnificent scenery of tie
West l"d.an topical forest, next amid
tLorny and plickIy uaderbu>h, and then
up AID down the sides OF gullies, where
tie climbing is slippery aud risky, aud
involves tantasilc capers, cal ing forth, saws
ar. Paisr"Ve' an occasional English e%jacu-
latIon, the same that BY, on dec ares 10
have no like for emphasis 10 any other
language. Wblle moving through II laby-
EInth OF SnQI trees The travellers suddenly
came upon a sheer prccipi ice with so little
warning that they just escaped tumbling
several hundred feet down into the Grand
Sou!riere which lay below. This is a
la extinct crater, paved with soft ashes,
and %hubbIlng with inuumerable mineral
springs OF white, black, and red water,
which mingle and rush out Of one side in
a scaIdlng hot torrent. There is but
IlttIe vegetation to cheer " the demonia-
cal grand ur of dis semi-infernal hol-
low most plants wither in the fumes
OF the vapor. The Black Country of Eng
land, rays Mr.. Pa. grave, is weird place,
and Sugg SIS weird ideas enough, whether
trayersed by night or by day but it is
" mljd-domestic" compared to natures
White Country, the sulphur region Of
Dominica.
TIE boiling lake lies northeast OF the
first crater, about an hours Climb, being
separated from it bya second crater with
steep edges, nearly burned out aud compa-
railveiy quie'. awe took the intervening
barrier at "a run" says the narrator, "aad
checked ourselves short at the top. A
few steps more would have sent US head
foremost into the boiling lake. A strange
sight to see, and rot less awful than strange.
Fenced IN by steep, mostly, indeed, per-
pendlcuIar banks, varying from go 10 100
feet high, cut out in ashes and pumice, the
lake RACES and roars like a while beast in
its cage, The surface. 10 which such mea-
surements as we could make assigned about
200 yards IN length by more than half the
same amount in breath, is that of a giant
seethiog caldron, covered with vapid steam,
through which, when the veil is for .
moment blown apart by the mountain
breeze, appears a confused mass of tossing
waves. crossing and lsshing in every direc-
tion-a chaos of boiling waters"
In addition to their observations Of the
dimensions of the lake-about 600 by 800
feet-and its general appearance, the ira
veIlers ascrrtained that it was fifty or sixty
feet deep within 6 feet from the shore that
it is q little over 2,4O0 feet above the level
OF The sea /; that it is almost wholly sup
piled with water from below ; and that
the temperature of It's waters was 1850 F.
where the waves beat against the shore.
and nearly 2OOoF. a little further out.
At that elevation, aud an atmospheric tenn
p%erature of 64o, the boiling point of water
is about 207eF. The centre of ebullition
is near the middle of the lake, to which. of
course, it was impossible for the party to