Mr. Douglas' voyage from the Columbia to the Sandwich Islands, and the ascent of Mouna Roa

Author:

Hooker, W.J. Sir

Title:

Mr. Douglas' voyage from the Columbia to the Sandwich Islands, and the ascent of Mouna Roa

Periodical:

Companion to the botanical magazine; being a journal, containing such interesting botanical information as does not come within the prescribed limits of the magazine, with occasional figures, Vol. II

Year:

1836

Pages:

p.161-169

Subject:

Douglas, David, 1799-1834 Hawaii history Mauna Kea history Mauna Loa

Summary:

This voyage, began on 18th October 1833, took Mr. Douglas from Cape Disappointment in the Columbia River, to the islands of Mauai (Maui) and Woahu (Oahu), and on to the island of Hawaii where he ascended to and explored Mouna Kuah (Mauna Kea) and Mouna Roa (Loa). His journey to Mouna Kuah took him through the woods where he observed large timber trees, covered with creepers, and species of Tillandria, and Tree Ferns. As he continued his ascent, he reached an area where a Rubus was observed among the rocks and where, above this area, the Filices was very great. Toward the upper end of the wood, the voyager described timber trees, sixty or seventy feet high and three to ten inches in circumference and matted with mosses. The woods then terminated and took the traveler to a place where the ground was thickly carpeted with species of Fragaia. His journey then took him to the most elevated peak on the summit where the last plant he saw was a gigantic species of the Compositae (Argyrophyton Douglasii), that stood with a column of overlapping, sharp-pointed leaves, densely covered with a silky clothing, and where species such as Ranunculus and Juncus grew. During this expedition, the traveller also observed plants such as the Vaccinium and Gramineae. On his descent, the traveler described carrying his belongings in baskets made of Coa (Koa), a species of Acacia. Following his descent from Mouna Kuah, Mr. Douglas began his trek to Mouna Roa, at which time, he made reference to Tapa, Calabashes, Poe (Poi), Taro, sugar-cane, etc. The journey took him through areas consisting of Taro patches, groves of Bread-fruit, ponds of Mullet and Ava-fish, and to little plantations of vegetables consisting of Morus papyrifera, and a kind of Compositae, like an Eupatorium. On his return to Hido (Hilo), the traveler referenced plants such as Ti and Sweet Potato. At the end of his expedition on the island of Hawaii, Mr. Douglas made reference a lake of liquid fire, boiling with furious agitation, and to lava that appeared to be of every color and shape -- compact, bluish and black, porous or vesicular, heavy and light as well as circular craters, varying in height from one hundred to three hundred feet, with about an equal diameter at their tops.

URL:

http://books.google.com/books?id=sPgWAAAAYAAJ

Collection:

Monographs