Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/67

Oct.] part of the year, that which falls upon thee orifices is oon melted by the heat. The ides of thee holes are adorned with beautiful crytals of ulphur, motly of the form of needles, and ome of them arranged into very regular figures. The action of the ulphuric acid combined with the water, effects uch a change upon the volcanic products of this place, that at firt ight one might mitake them for very white argillaceous earth, that has acquired a high degree of ductility from the moiture contantly iuing from the above-mentioned apertures. It is in this kind of earth that the ulphuric crytals which I have poken of are found.

The decompoition of the ulphur, and the volcanic products, form an aluminous alt that covers the ground in needles, which have very little coheion with each other.

The thermometer, when placed in the hade at the height of about three feet from the urface of the ground at the ummit of the peak, roe in a quarter of an hour to 15° above 0. No enible variation was oberved upon changing its ditance from the earth, even by ix or eight feet, which gives us reaon to believe, that the internal heat of the ground in this place, though o very great, has little influence upon the temperature of the atmophere. Beides, the air of the atmophere might