s at fifteen minutes past
ten, there was not a house, save an unfinished temple, left standing.
These waves continued to come and go until half-past two p.m., during
which time the frigate was thrown on her beam-ends five times; a piece
of her keel, eighty-one feet long, was torn off; holes were knocked in
her by striking on the bottom, and she was reduced to a wreck. In the
course of five minutes the water in the harbour fell, it is said, from
twenty-three to three feet, and the anchors of the ship were laid bare.
There was a great loss of life; many houses were washed into the sea,
and many junks carried up--one two miles inland--and dashed to pieces on
the shore. The day was beautifully fine, and no warning was given of
the approaching convulsion: the sea was perfectly smooth when its
surface was broken by the first wave."

Monster waves of this kind occur at regular intervals, among the islands
of the Pacific, once and sometimes twice in the year; and this without
any additional influence of an earthquake, at least in the immediate
neighbourhood of the islands, though it is quite possible that
earthquakes in some remote part of the world may have something to do
with these waves.

One such wave is described as breaking on one of these islands with
tremendous violence. It appeared at first like a dark line, or low
cloud, or fog-bank, on the sea-ward horizon. The day was fine though
cloudy, and a gentle breeze was blowing; but the sea was not rougher, or
the breaker on the coral reef that encircled the island higher, than
usual. It was supposed to be an approaching thunder-storm; but the line
gradually drew nearer without spreading upon the sky, as would have been
the case had it been a thunder-cloud. Still nearer it came, and soon
those on shore observed that it was moving swiftly towards the island;
but there was no sound until it reached the smaller islands out at sea.
As it passed these, a cloud of white foam encircled each and burst high
into the air. This appearance was soon followed by a loud roar, and it
became evident that the object was an enormous wave. When it approached
the outer reef, its awful magnitude became more evident. It burst
completely over the reef at all points, with a deep, continuous roar;
yet, although part of its force was thus broken, on it came, as if with
renewed might, and finally fell upon the beach with a crash that seemed
to shake the solid earth; then, rushing impetuously