*774-
A vgu st . found native fulphur in the white earth which covers the
folfatatas, from whence the aqueous ftreams arife. The
tafte of this earth was ftrongly aluminous, and it may perhaps
be impregnated with particles of that fait. We like-
wife met with a red bolus near thefe places, and obferved a
white felenitic ftone among the natives, which they wear as
an ornament in the cartilage between the noftrils. We
found fome fpecimens of ftrong lavas ; but as we could not
come near the volcano, we never met with them in any
quantity. The hot fprings have a kind of aftringency ins
the tafte, which gives us fome reafon to fufpeCl that they
contain mineral particles ; but we had no opportunity to
make experiments on board with the water which we
brought from thence. The only remark of any confequence,
is a confirmation of a former well-known fad with regard)
to volcanos, viz. that thefe burning mountains are not always
the higheft in the whole ridge, as in Peru and Sicily,
but that they fometimes breakout in a fecondary ridge, and
are even of an inconfiderable height. As there are inftanees
in the Açores, and in the Archipelago, that volcanic eruptions
have forced their way through the fea from the unfathomable
bottom, this circuroftance would be of lefs
confequence, if it had not difagreed with the opinion of the
great naturalift, M. de Buffon. He afferts, that the higheft
mountains alone are the feat of volcanic fires, being defirous
to remove thefe fires as far from the centre of the earth as
polfible.
poflible. Another obfervation which we made feems to A™'ST.
prove, that the eruptions commonly fucceeded after fhowers
of rain; but fo Ihort a flay as ours is infufficient to give this
remark its neceffary weight, though it coincides with the
conjectures which have hitherto been made concerning the
caufes of fubterraneous fires. The vegetable productions of
Tanna are very rich and various. The forefts are filled with
plants, of which a great number were new to us, and fome
were'fpecies hitherto known only in the Eaft Indian iflands.
The cultivated grounds likewife contain a great variety of
plants which are unknown in the Society and Friendly
Iflands, and no lefs than forty different fpecies are cultivated.
Among the fpontaneous plants, we ought particularly to repeat
the mention of the nutmeg, in defence of Quiros’s veracity,
who afferts that he found it in Tierra del Efpiritu
Santo, which doubtlefs belongs to this group of iflands.
Whether oranges are cultivated, or grow wild, is uncertain,
as we never met with a Angle tree that bore them, but were
obliged to content ourfelves with the fruit, which the
women fometimes fold to us.
The animal creation in Tanna is -likewife numerous and
beautiful. Shells indeed are fcarce upon the coaft, and the
natives go in quell of them to other iflands, fetting fome
value alfo upon large mother of pearl-fhells. Filh, on the
contrary, are numerous, and in great variety : with the feine
and hook we caught mullet (.mullusjL, .Brafilian pike, garfifh,
dolphins.