A voyage to the Pacific Ocean, undertaken by the command of his majesty for making discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere to determine the position and extent of the west side of North America, its distance from Asia; and the practicability of a Northern passage to Europe ...

Author:

King, James, Cook, James

Title:

A voyage to the Pacific Ocean, undertaken by the command of his majesty for making discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere to determine the position and extent of the west side of North America, its distance from Asia; and the practicability of a Northern passage to Europe ...

Year:

1785

Subject:

Voyages around the world Mauna Kea history Mauna Loa Hawaii history

Summary:

In this document, King summarizes the observations made in the Sandwich Islands during his voyage with Cook. He describes the east cape of the island and the southeast short as being heavily vegetated. He describes the snow-covered Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, supposing them to be at least 16,020 and 18,400 ft high, respectively. He describes the Kau coast, "the whole country appearing to have undergone a total change from the effects of some dreadful convulsion. The ground is everywhere covered with cinders and intersected in many places with black streaks, which seem to mark the course of a lava that has flowed, not many ages back, from the mountain of Mauna Roa (Mauna Loa) to the shore. The southern promontory looks like the mere dregs of a volcano." He concludes with a brief description of Kealakekua Bay and the unsuccessful attempt to climb to the summit of Mauna Loa.

URL:

http://archive.org/details/voyagetopacifico03cook

Collection:

Monographs