NEW GUINEA.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 38, 22 June 1878, Page 2

NEW GUINEA.

The following is extracted from a letter sent by the Rev. Mr. Brown to a resident of New Zealand, and which appeared in the Weekly News of May 11: Among many other things recorded by Mr. Brown, ho gives an account of two events that cannot fail to be deeply interesting to every person who hears that great convulsions of nature are still going on in different parts of the globe. It appears that in the early part of last Febru- | ary an old crater situated in Blanche Bay, New Britain, that had been iuactive during many years, broke out with awful and alarming fury, destroying two villages, the natives of which happily escaped with their lives. During Mr. Brown's first visit to New Britain, about three years ago, he went to the above crater and took photographs of it. The place on which he then stood has quite disappeared, and is now the centre of tho crater, from which ascend immense clouds of thick, black smoke, accompanied by red-hot stones and ashes, and a loud roaring distinctly audible for a distance of twenty miles from the spot. The present eruption was preceded by frequent earthquakes, which were very heavy indeed on New Britain, but which on the Duke of York Island (only twenty miles distant, and were the Mission Station is) were not felt. Upon getting near the coast of Nev. Britain in his boat, Mr. Brown got ir.'.'.' 3 ueld of pumice several miles in length ; lid averaging half a mile in bread*:: Tho boat of a trader was a little iii advance of Mr. Brown's, and the men on t oard prepared with soil and oars to paas through the field. They succeeded t-i a certain distance, but soon found ii quite impracticable to go further ; nor could they get back to the open sea, consequently they had to remain prisoners until a change in the current removed the pumice away the nest dav. Mr. Brown's boat being in the rear of the other, ho determined to mako an attempt to regain the open sea, which after long, hard pulling, be accomplished He describes the field of pumico as being at least threo feet thick, and looking at it from tho shore, as having tho appearac of a patch of dry reef. The day after hid adventure among the pumice, Mr. Brown proceeded on his journey up tho Bay, and passing certain rocks that he knew, perceived that they were gradually sinking,—tho houses that were some feet above high-water mark on a previous visit being now quite flooded by the tide In this vicinity the action of a submarine volcano during the previous week had given existence to a new island three miles in circumference. Landing on this island, Mr. Brown found it fissured in every direction, from which smoke and steam still issued very violently. He describes the land as gradually rising from the north-west beach to the summit of the island, where it terminated almost I>v.ij«.l.j; o „]„,.; } , „♦ „ l«^«.«.»pa;i<.r. Ol .;ij. the sides of which were about 70 feet, in height, then gradually sloping down in a circular direction toward the southeast, until they nearly united on the opposite side or passage of about ten yards, through which the boiling water of tho crater flowed out into tho boy. The cavity thus formed was apparently very deep, boiling most furiously, and emitting clouds of sulphurous steam. For the dis ance of sis miles from this now island, the water of the sea was all at aoolding heat, and in many places wjis boiling furiously. As a natural consequent of this extreme heat all the fish and turtle in the vicinity of the island were cast upon the shore pcrfectly cooked, andthevaluableshellofthe turtles quite spoiled. On the night of Sunday, February 3, the earthquakes wc:e very violent indeed, and on Monday morning there were two tidal waves, which destroyed deal of- tiio shore line of Now Britain, soon after 1 which clouds of steam were observed rising from tho bay, in a direct lino between tho old crate • on the mainland and the now island. As tho submarine volcano increased in size, the other steam clouds in the deep water ceased and the old crater burst out with terrific force. There was no discharge of lava, but largo blocks of pumice and rock were continually being abot out. Not a green leaf was to be seen, though all was covered with grass and trees a- fortnight before. The coeoanut tree that were far onoueh away to escape destruction, were so weighted by the dust and ashes of tho crator that their leaves hung down by stems, giving them the appearance of a lot of gigantic Chinese umbrellas. Mr. Brown was desirous of ascending the crater, but prudenco dicated the propriety of returning homo instead. Both Mrs. Brown have been attacked bv fevci' but were well at the date of their last letters.