Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/66

56 The partium upra nubium was the lat hrub that I noticed before we arrived at the foot of the cone; but there is an herbaceous plant which, notwithtanding its apparent delicacy, vegetates even in till higher ituations. I mean a pecies of violet with leaves omewhat elongated, and lightly indented at the edges; its flowering time was already pat. We oberved it to grow quite near to the ummit of the peak.

The vapours of the atmophere not being able to rie to this height, the ky preents itelf in the puret azure, which is more bright and dazzling than what we can ee in the clearet weather of our climates. Though ome cattered clouds hung in the atmophere far below our feet, we had till a very perfect view of the neighbouring ilands.

The cone is terminated by a crater, the greatet elevation of which is on the north-eat ide. Its outh-wet ide has a deep depreion, which eems to have been produced by the inking of the ground.

Near to the top are everal orifices about three inches in diameter, from which a very hot vapour iues, that made Reaumur's thermometer rie to 67° above 0, emitting a ound very like that of the humming of bees. When the now begins to fall on the ummit of the peak in the latter part