Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

3iOAUSTRALASIA.Hermit and Admiralty to New Hanover, which is followed by the elongatedisland of Torabara, disposed in the direction from north-west to south-east, incommon with all the members of the Solomon Archipelago. The southern curveruns at first parallel with the New Guinea coast, where the extreme limit of thechain is marked by Vulcan Island within ten miles of the mainland. The sj-stemis then continued at intervals b}' Dampier (Kar-Kar), Long and Rook, beyondwhich the curve, ceasing to follow the New Guinea coast south-eastwards, sweepsround through Birara (New Britain) east and north-east transversly to Tombara.Both curves thus converge and somewhat overlap about York Island in St. George'sChannel.Like moat other insular chains disposed in the form of arcs of a circle, these tworanges of the North Melanesian islands consist in a great measure of volcanic lands.Vulcan, at the western extremity of the southern curve, forms a superb peakfrom which wreaths of smoke constantly issue. Its shores are festooned with agai'land of plantations and its slopes clothed with forest growths to a height ofover 3,000 feet, beyond which nothing is seen except a scanty hei-baccous vegetationas far as the summit, 5,000 feet above the sea.Aris, near this smoking cone, is a long extinct breached crater ; but Lesson,lyino- farther west, is still active. These waters have often been the scene ofviolent commotions, and when Dampier penetrated through the strait bearing hisname, the atmosphere was charged with vapours and ashes ; flames were reflectedfrom the clouds, and the sea was covered far and wide by floating pumice ;but atpresent all the numerous igneous cones dotted over this maritime region arequiescent.Birara, largest member of all the IMelanesian groups, is too little known in itscentral parts to determine the character of the rocks concealed beneath theuniform mantle of verdure clothing all the mountain slopes.But Cape Gloucester,at the extreme point overlooking Dampier Strait, is known to be a still activevolcano, while round about rise numerous eruptive cones with an average heightof about 6,500 feet. A low reef in the cluster of the French Islands scattered tothe north of Birara is also an upheaved igneous mass, one of whose springs formsa geyser. Farther east a promontory on the mainland, 3,940 feet high, constitutes,with two less elevated crests, the group of still-burning mountains known asthe "Father" and his two "Sons." Lastly, Blanche or "Wliite Bay, at thenorthern extremity of Birara, appears to be itself a ruined crater encircled by anamphitheatre of hills. In the midst of the waters, which present an almostlacustrine aspect, stands a steep circular eminence, while the peninsula enclosingthe bay on the east is surmounted by another triplet of volcanoes, known asthe "Mother" (2,100 feet) and her two "Daughters." In the neighbouringseas the water has often been seen to boil up, and some of the islets have even beenl>artly blown away.Igneous energy seems tobe less active in the western section of the northerncurve forming the chief insular chain of North Melanesia. The Exchequer andHermit groups are vast atolls resting on a rocky bed whose true character has not