(FROM ANOTHER CORRESPONDENT.)

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 176, 30 October 1886, Page 3 (Supplement)

(FROM ANOTHER CORRESPONDENT. )

•> On the 18th of September the French^ , man -of -war Decres arrived in Tonga, coming to an anchor latn in the afternoon, and brought up opposite the site upon which the Roman Catholic mission &tauds. Shortly after her arrival, the E,oman Jputholic Bishop of Tonga informed the King that an island called tfiuafoou, one of the outlying > islands (distant 8ome v 390 milea from Tonga), was in a state of active eruption, and, as the • island forma v a portion of the Tongan Kingdom, the news very naturally produced considerable anxiety in our minds. Strange to say, the French man-oF->var did not coin: municafce with' tbe inland to ascertain the real state of the place and its inhabitants, and it seems stranger still, when we remember, that* the Roman CatbolicBishop was a passenger on boarxi the man-ot-war ; and more than this, the/Roman, jCath'qlic Mission have only this .year establiehed themselves , upon thb ieland. iSptwithstanding all tlua^ ib appears that, aa^effort was made to comciunipate with the, natives in their trying position. The man-o'-war was off thfe >v island for several 1 hours, and "she wps " sufficiently near to enable the\ nativ-ea' ,to'*, ! f eee fthat' 1 8he was ,,a white-painted, vessel. \ It eeem's ,that,'the -n|,tives made,, signals by wavingvflttgs y pf pieces of cloth, rather, r to attrabu the at'ten.|ion T bKvthe v yes,sel,-f^b s ut^all -their efforts 4O^mng/tpJ:K6^oc,lty nature' 'oi. the /isiandi » pqatai ;a^eXnofrqf nmohi eeryipe ; \ and .j £n^t^haYipglaysb'oaConf8n>e;:lhe^na;ti

AeJ BQotxj ab', the -report rof the, eruption ■ reachecfthe Rev. 'S* W. Bakerrthe'Prbmier of Tonga, no time was lost in deciding upon making a speedy visit to the Island "upon which the outburst bud' occurred,, and it was determined to charter the Union s.s. Suva if possible, and arrangements were'at once'made with Mr Giles, the Resident Agent of the U.>.S. Company. , That gentleman very- kindly agreed to ihe proposal, and it was at onoe ' decided that the steamer should be char- * t« red- by tbe of Tonga, and * thus do time would be lost in ascertaining the real nature of the eruption and the ' state of tbe natives. True to time, the Suva arrived on Monday morning, and it may be observed that since tbe Suva commenced her monthly per vice, she has been most punctual ; always up to time. On Tuesday morniDg, at 8 a.m., tbe Suva loft Tonga, having amongst her passengers the Rev. S.'Baker, Premier of Tonga, and the Rev. J. B. 'Watkin, who were both visiting the scene of the eruption, in the* interest of State and Church. Being; favoured with' , a ' fair wind, the Suva made good progrees. On tbe following morning, -the island of Vavau was reached, and after a brief stay of an hour or two, we left for Niuafoon. We v, ere still favoured with wind and weather, and we'reached the pcene of the eruption shortly after dark on Thursday. Captain Todd, with great consideration, let off a rocket or two, and a gun was also fired for the purpose of attracting the attention of the natives, and with success, for they assembled in large numbers at the usual landand

place, Lit Hugt Bonfires/ by means 01 which we >vere abJe to effect a landing with comparative ease. The island, considering the usual difficulties experienced in landing, might almost be called "Inaccossible Inland." However, we effected a safe landing, and the Suva lay off and on during the whole night. We found the natives in a considerable state of unrest, arising out of the terrible eruption which had so recently taken place there. It may bo stated that this is the fourth eruption which has occurred on this island within the memory of those still living. The first took place some 70 years since, the second about 40 years ago, and the third occurred about 19 years ago, and the fourth on the morning of the 31st of August, 1886. We were intoimed by the natives that, during the first and second weeks in June, they experienced quite a number of earthquakes, quite a heavy one having occurred ou the Sth of June at 9 a.m., and on the 11th of June at 7.30 p.m., not far from the time when the terrible Tarawera eruption took place. On the 12th of August at 2.30, the island waa visited by a terrible earthquake — the heaviest one ever known in the islands — and it iseaid there waa*a most powerful smell of sulphur noticed immediately attei the earthquake. la some parts of the island fissures in the rocks were made, and the csew of a vessel lying at anchor off th& island seated that the place where they were anchoied was thrown up several fathoms, reducing considerably the depth ot water at that particular spot. Another vessel was luring off, and on the same night, and though some twelve miles distant, the earthquake was most distinctly felt gn board, even at that distance. From the date of this heavy earthquake up to the evening of the 30tn of August, nothing of any importance took place, but at the end ol that day the earthquakes commenced, and continued with more or lesB violence until bstween one and two o'clock of Tuesday, August olst, when

The Volcano Burst Forth With a Terrible Noise. The terrified inhabitants-Europeans and natives - fled to the - highest part of the islaud for safety. It is a fact which may, p'iihaps, be interesting to scientific mea that tbe eruption* took place on the same da> (31st August) that severe earthquakes were felt in the CJnited States, and some parta of Europe also (as per telegrams). The eruption in this island commenced in a lake which fills the centre of the island. It broke out towaids the edge of tha lake. There are now visible some five craters, only one of which waa smoking a little dming our visit, but, in several parts of the lake the water is still boiling, and it may be questioned whether the eruptian has altogether ceased. The, natives are afraid that it haB not. Immense quantities of stone and eand have been tnrown up. The stones have principally fallen back into the lake, but the sand has been canied over nearly the whole of the island, covering it in depths varying from a few inches to several teet in others.. The weight oi the falling sand and water has been so immense as to destroy scores of thousands of the^nut trees. The breadfruit trees have also suffered immensely ;. i i fact, the falling water and sand well nigh de&troyed all the large trees, which were unable to bear the immense weight produced, b </ ths accumulation of sand, and they have boon completely brought toearth. By far the larger proportion of the houses are down and the greater number of the plantations of the natives have been buried by the sand thrown out of the volcano. It ia all the more distressing- and ruinoue, seeing that many of their plantations were in a very forwaid etate, and tho»natives were looking forward -nith hope of a plentiful harvest, but all their hopes, are blighted, and for the present they are luined, and nnlesa help is afforded there wih be starvation A hill of considerablessize has been thrown up in the lake, formed in a great measure ot tha volcanic sand (a sample of which I forward), and perhaps it would be aB well if you handed it over to some scientific person who would analyse it and see what its properties may be. If it be sand possessing valuable properties,' then ultimately the island will be benefited by the eruption, but it will be some years befoie the nut trees will have recovered trom the damage they have sustained. ; As far as we could see there haa not been any flow of Java during this eruption,, but only.an ejection ot sand and stones, peincipally the foimer. It is a very remarkable fact i hat thsre was On the moaning o^ the, eruption, the natives left their villages^ ahd fled t $o the highest parts of the land, as they considered by getting there they would be comparatively free from danger. , The King of Tonga is expected to pay,,a visit to the island in the course ,of or twd and in all probability a considerable' number ofr the population Vwill bje anxious to leave.' ; A quantity of yams ( and other article^ pf native food w,ill be, sent immediately ,tp meeb their pres6nt Mwants, and the. 2 ppvern ment ,of r /11onga will,' without doubt, prove equal to the emergency, and provide, t rneans Jjor, ,the. alleviation of ,sthe suflforiDgs which are .atCpresent the lot of the nativesibf J^ina Foon. , ," vi (..We must'-.not T forget to speak> in the highest terms c of Captain Todd, of.tbes.a, Suva ■ whoso: visit,has„ been, so oppor,tune~ and, also 6t Mr GUe3> the >resideni/Tongan ,agent s ot the,'Union Steajmship, i; Company. -The sufferings jo^tl^jgoor; islanders will ,be*v greatly;, VeducsdfXljy /speedy, comby' l\B&$* ofithQv^Suv^^-rBhV^bal'prdi^ed.a rindeeiljinjihe J.time otsdifficultyjancl, fzn.osifc near cixy^cto \we^w*§n vne^enterprisins l