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THE NATURALIST.

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VOLCANIC ISLAND OF ST. CHRISTOPHER.


This island is entirely composed of volcanic matter, in some places
alternating with submarine productions. The principal mountain is situated
at the western end of the island; it is an exhausted volcano, called in
books of navigation, charts, &c., Mount Misery. The summit of this mountain
is 3,711 feet above the sea; it appears to consist of large masses of
volcanic rocks, roasted stones, cinders, pumice, and iron-clay. The whole
extent of land, to the sea-shore on either side, may be considered as the
base of this mountain, as it rises with a pretty steep ascent towards it;
but from the part which is generally considered the foot of the mountain,
it takes a sudden rise of an average angle of about 50 degrees. To the
east, another chain of mountains runs, of a similar formation, though of
inferior height. On the summits of these there are no remains that indicate
their having ever possessed a crater: so that whether any of them have
originally been volcanoes, or whether they have been formed by an
accumulation of matter thrown out of Mount Misery, it is difficult to
decide. That the low lands have been thrown from the mouth of the volcano
is evident, from the regular strata of volcanic substances of which they
consist; these too are interspersed with masses of volcanic rock, and other