The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-07-29
POLISH NOBLEMAN'S VISIT
TO K|LAUEA sc YEARS AGO
>O>O>O>O~O~O.O>O>O>

With the old spelling of 'Kirauea,"
the Spectator, a Honolulu magazine of
1898 conducted by an association of
gentlemen" has the following account
of a visit to the Volcano of Count
Strzelecki, a polish nobleman:
My Dear Sir.
Your kind request to supply the val
liable publication of the Spectator,
with an account of my visit to the
Volcano of Kirauea on Hawaii, both
pains and fatters me: for / regret
much that my limited stay here, the
daily current and accommodating objects
of new and interesting inquiries render
any circumstantial description of it
really impossible to me- A few facts,
and fewer observations which a hasty
and rough sketch brings FORTH is all
| am able for the moment to supply
you with. | cannot even ATTEMPT to
give you the slightest idea of the mn
pressions which the awful sublimity
OF the volcano produced upon my
Imagination; that part of our being
does not yield as easily as memory-it
does not reproduce sensations; the
rapture-the enthusiasm once gone by
is lost forever.
What l remember, and long shall
recolect as showing the mighty influ-
ence of mighty objects upon me- are
the difficulties | had to struggle with
| before my eye could be torn away
| from the idle. vacant but ecstatic
gazing with which | regarded the great
| Whole, down to the analytical part OF
the wondrous and unparalleled scene
! before me; | say unparalleled because
| having visited most of the European
and American VOLCANOES, | find the
greatest of them inferior to Kirauea
crater in intensity, grandeur. and eX-
tent or area.
The abrupt and precipitous cliff
| which forms the y. n. +. wall of the
crater,-found, after my repeated OBJ
servations to be elevated 4,lN feet
above the level of the sea-overhangs
| an area of 3,150OOO square yards OF
/ half-cooled scoria, sunk to the deptt
of 800 yards and containing more thar
32S,00O square yards of convulsed tor
rents of earths in igneous fusion, anC
gaseous fluids constantly effervescinl
-boiling-sp outng-rolling in all di
rections like waves of disturbed sea
| violently beating the edge of the cal
drons like an infatuated surf, and lik
surf spreading all around its spray Il
the form of capillary glass which hll
the air, and adheres In flaky ant
pendulous form to the distorted AM
broken masses of the lava all around
five caldrons each of about 800 squar
yards, almost at the level of the grea
area, and containing only tn
twelfth part OF the red liquid
the sixth cadron is encircle,
by wall of accumulated scoria of MT,
yards high, forming the : ;, w poin
the Hale mau maui of the natives Il
] which the bones uf the former hlgl
chlrfs were rnnsisurd-ihr sacrifices q
Tia goddess pgle offered the abyss "a
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