For commercial reproduction please contact the National Library of Scotland by referring to http://www.nls.uk/copyright . For access to the originals please e-mail manuscripts@nls.uk National Library of Scotland National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EW, Scotland, UK The National Library of Scotland license the use of this content under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 UK: Scotland License. manuscripts@nls.uk
Description
“Ambrim [Ambrym] - Native church built by two Christian teachers. The island is unhealthy, and still heathen. Like Tanna, it is volcanic, and subject to earthquakes.” Ambrym, the fifth largest of Vanuatu, is well known for its highly active volcanic activity that includes lava lake formation. Several times per century its volcano has destructive eruptions. The summit of the volcano contains a desert-like caldera which covers an area of 100 square km. Ambrym is the site of two active volcanic cones, Benbow and Marum (also spelled Maroum). Mt Benbow last erupted in 1913, causing the evacuation of the population to Mele, near Port Vila on Éfaté. In The Scottish Churches’ Work Abroad, J. H. Morrison writes of the problems these conditions posed: ‘Ambrim [Ambrym] has boiled over time and again, and sent broad streams of lava down to the sea. Sometimes services are conducted under a steady fall of ashes and soot, until preacher and congregation, whatever their original hue, are all reduced to an indistinguishable black. In 1913 the island was shaken to its very foundations, the ocean around was raised to boiling-point, and when the catastrophe passed, the beautiful Mission hospital lay under 70 feet of water’ (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1927. 189-190).
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
