op there is a hollow inverted cone of considerable depth, the
sides of which are covered with creeping vines and ferns, the bottom
being strewn here and there with rubble, slag, and hardened lava which
looks as though it had not been cooled a very long time. Here we have
clearly defined the mouth of an extinct volcano. If Vesuvius slept for
centuries and then burst forth to overwhelm an entire city, why may not
this mountain be expected in the course of time to do likewise?

The present view from Mount Eden, however, is indeed charming, and
should not be missed by any one capable of appreciating such a
pleasure. On the seaward side the whole of the volcanic isthmus lies at
the visitor's feet; the portion sloping to the shore, known as the
village of Remuera, is covered with handsome villas, cottages, luxurious
groves and gardens, beyond which lies the city of Auckland, with its
suburbs stretching away on either side. To the southward the volcanic
hills called the Three Kings are conspicuous; and underlying them are
many curious caves, where large numbers of human bones are still seen,
testifying to the former orgies of the Maoris. Beyond the city lies the
harbor, its clear waters sharply reflecting the sun's rays. A couple of
miles away on the other side of the bay is Mount Victoria, once also an
active volcano, but now only a signal station. The irregular north shore
of the Hauraki Gulf, marked by promontories, inlets, green bays, and
fertile meadows, spreads seaward on that side. Away to the right loom
the triple peaks of Rangi-Toto, its well-wooded sides rising gracefully
from the waters of the gulf toward Tiri-tiri and the open ocean. Looking
inland, one sees a rolling country dotted here and there with smiling
homesteads, wooded clumps, and volcanic knolls innumerable,--all
together forming quite an incomparable picture. At the suggestion of a
friend our second visit to Mount Eden was made by moonlight. The
luminary in her last quarter was yet quite sufficient to lend a
bewildering loveliness and light, which brought out the isle-dotted
Hauraki Gulf and Manakoo Harbor clear in every outline, beautifying the
dimpled waters with a silvery sheen. On the summit of Mount Eden there
is to be seen an abundance of small shells embedded in the earth and
mixed with the debris, showing clearly enough that the soil upon which
one is standing, nearly a thousand feet above the level of the harbor of
Auckland, must once have been