,illustration3  ,mount ,vesuvius        
,illustration3  ,marvels of ,creation   
,,wonders ,,of ,,creation3              
,a ,,descriptive ,,account ,,of         
,,volcanoes ,,and ,,their ,,phenomena4  
,the mountains quake at ,him and the    
hills melt and the earth is             
burned at ,his presence--,,nahum #a3e   
#ahgb    ,,preface   ,being intended for
 the ,young1 this work treats of        
,volcanoes only in a popular way4       
,scientific details and philosophical   
speculations are accordingly avoided4   
,nevertheless1 a perusal of the         
following pages may so stimulate the    
curiosity of youthful minds1 that some1 
on attaining to riper years and more    
mature understanding1 may be inspired   
with a longing to inquire more deeply   
into this interesting subject4 ,they may
 be stimulated to investigate1 in a     
philosophical spirit1 all the marvellous
 facts and phenomena connected with     
volcanic agency1 and to speculate on    
their causes and modes of operation4    

,some also1 on reaching their manhood1  
may be induced to ascend one or more of 
the nearer active volcanoes1 and examine
 their phenomena for themselves4 ,the   
facilities of travel are now so great1  
that a visit to ,vesuvius or ,etna is no
 longer beyond the limits of a holiday  
trip4 ,even the more remote ,hecla with 
the playful ,geysers may be reached     
within a reasonable time4 ,perhaps a    
very few1 who are now scientific        
travellers in embryo1 may call to       
remembrance what they may have read in  
these pages1 when1 many years hence1    
they may be climbing the cone of        
,cotopaxi1 or peering into the crater of
 ,kilauea4  ,apart from these           
considerations1 a perusal of this work  
may enable the young mind to form a more
 lively idea of the tremendous energy of
 the forces which are imprisoned in the 
bowels of the earth4 ,such a vivid      
conception will naturally lead to a     
higher appreciation of the wisdom and   
power of ,him who guides the operation  

of those forces by his laws1 and has set
 bounds to their activity which they    
cannot overpass4    ,,contents4         
,,chapter ,i4  ,volcanoes in            
general--,origin of the ,name--,general 
,aspect--,crater--,cone--,subordinate   
,cones and ,craters--,peak of           
,teneriffe--,lava-,streams--,cascades   
and ,jets of ,lava--,variations in its  
,consistency--,pumice--,different ,sorts
 of                                     
,lava--,obsidian--,olivine--,sulphur--,d
ust1 ,ashes1 c4--,volcanic              
,silk--,volcanic ,islands--,volcanic    
,fishes--,hot ,water1 ,mud1 ,vapours1   
c4--,volcanic                           
,storm--,explosions--,number of         
,volcanoes--,king of the                
,volcanoes--,artificial ,volcano        
,,chapter ,,ii4  ,volcanoes of          
,iceland--,mount ,hecla--,earliest      
,eruption--,great ,eruption in          
#ahde--,skaptr ,ykul--,terrible         
,eruption in #aghc--,rise and           
,disappearance of ,nyo--,katlugaia--,the

 ,geysers--,a very hot                  
,bath--,californian                     
,geysers--,iceland-spar--,jan ,mayen    
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,mount                
,vesuvius--,origin of ,name--,former    
,condition--,eruption of ,a4,d4         
#gi--;,death of ,pliny--,destruction of 
,pompeii and ,herculaneum--,appearance  
of the ,mountain before and after       
,eruption--,formation of ,monte         
,nuovo--,eruption of ,boiling           
,water--,coloured ,vapours--,cascade of 
,lava--,discovery of ,remains of        
,herculaneum and ,pompeii--,the         
,buildings of ,pompeii--,street of      
,tombs--,skeletons--,sundry             
,shops--,ascents of                     
,vesuvius--,crater--,temple of ,serapis 
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,mount ,etna--,its     
,appearance and ,height--,ancient       
,eruptions--,pindar's                   
,allusion--,virgil's                    
,description--,subordinate ,cones and   
,craters--,caverns--,val de             
,bove--,formation of ,monti             

,rossi--,eruption of                    
#aheb--,whirlwinds--,lava               
,torrents--,cascades of                 
,lava--,description of                  
,crater--,empedocles--,enceladus--,crate
rs of #ahfe--;,cyclopean                
,isles--,homer's ,legend--,volcanic     
,origin--,other ,basaltic ,groups       
,,chapter ,v4  ,lipari                  
,islands--,stromboli--,origin of        
,name--,position of                     
,crater--,description of ,crater--,new  
,volcanic ,island named                 
,julia--,phenomena preceding its        
,elevation--,description of ,island and 
,crater--,its ,disappearance--,rise of  
,islands at ,santorin   ,,chapter ,,vi4 
,peak of ,teneriffe--,its               
,crater--,eruption of                   
,chahorra--,palma--,great               
,caldera--,lancerote--,great            
,eruption--,sudden ,death--,fuego1 ,cape
 de ,verde ,islands--,cotopaxi--,its    
,appearance--,great ,eruptive           
,force--,tunguragua--,great ,eruption of

 ,mud and ,water--,fish thrown          
out--,quito--,its                       
,overthrow--,pichinca--,humboldt's      
,ascent--,narrow                        
,escape--,antisana--,sangay--,rancagua--
,chillan--,masaya   ,,chapter ,,vii4    
,jorullo--,great ,monument--,jorullo's  
,estate--,interruption to his           
,quiet--,his ,estate ,swells--,swallows 
,two ,rivers--,throws up                
,ovens--,becomes a ,burning             
,mountain--,popocatepetl--,spanish      
,ascents--,orizaba --,muller's          
,ascent--,morne ,garou--,pele--,la      
,soufriere   ,,chapter ,,viii4  ,hawaii1
 ,sandwich ,islands--,crater of         
,kilauea--,its awful ,aspect--,fiery    
,lake and ,islands--,jets of            
,lava--,depth of ,crater and ,surface of
 ,lake--,bank of ,sulphur--,curious     
,rainbow--,mouna ,kaah and ,mouna ,loa  
--,eruption of the ,latter in           
#ahdj--,recent ,eruption--,great ,jet   
and ,torrent of ,lava--,burning of the  
,forests--,great                        

,whirlwinds--,underground               
,explosions--,other ,volcanoes in the   
,pacific   ,,chapter ,,ix4  ,atolls1 or 
,coral ,islands--,their strange         
,appearance--,their ,connexion with     
,volcanoes--,their ,mode of             
,formation--,antarctic                  
,volcanoes--,diatomaceous ,deposits     
,,chapter ,x4  ,volcanoes of            
,java--,papandayang--,mountain          
,ingulfed--,great ,destruction of ,life 
and ,property--,galoen                  
gong--,destructive ,eruption--,mount    
,merapia--,great ,eruption1 with        
,hurricane--,another1 very              
destructive---,mud ,volcano--,crater of 
,tankuban ,prahu--,island of            
,sumbwa--,volcano of ,tomboro--,terrific
 ,eruption--,timor--,a ,volcano quenches
 itself--,cleaving of ,mount            
,machian--,sangir--,destructive         
,eruption--,bourbon   ,,chapter ,,xi4   
,mud and ,air                           
,volcanoes--,luss--,macaluba--,taman--,k
orabetoff ,new ,island in the ,sea of   

,azof--,jokmali--,fires of ,baku--,mud  
,volcano in ,flank of ,etna--,air       
,volcanoes of ,turbaco1 ,cartagena1 and 
,galera ,zamba   ,,chapter ,,xii4  ,new 
,zealand--,boiling ,fountains and ,lakes
   ,,chapter ,,xiii4  ,underground      
,sounds--,quito--,rio                   
,apure--,guanaxuato--,melida--,nakous   
,,chapter ,,xiv4  ,extinct              
,volcanoes--,auvergne--,vienne--,agde--,
eyfel--,italy--,lacus ,cimini--,grotto  
del ,cane--,guevo ,upas--,talaga        
,bodas--,the ,dead ,sea                 
,,wonders ,,of ,,creation3              
,,volcanoes ,,and ,,their ,,phenomena4  
,,chapter ,i4  ,volcanoes in            
general--,origin of the ,name--,general 
,aspect--,crater--,cone--,subordinate   
,cones and ,craters--,peak of           
,teneriffe--,lava-,streams--,cascades   
and ,jets of ,lava--,variations in its  
,consistency--,pumice--,different ,sorts
 of                                     
,lava--,obsidian--,olivine--,sulphur--,d
ust1 ,ashes1 c4--,volcanic              

,silk--,volcanic ,islands--,volcanic    
,fishes--,hot ,water1 ,mud1 ,vapours1   
c--,volcanic storm--,explosions--,number
 of ,volcanoes--,king of the            
,volcanoes--,artificial ,volcano4       
,among the many wonderful works of ,god1
 none exhibits so much of awful grandeur
 as an active volcano4 ,this name for a 
burning mountain was first applied to   
that which exists in the island         
anciently called ,hiera1 one of the     
,lipari group4 ,it is derived from the  
name of the heathen god ,vulcan1 which  
was originally spelt with an initial ,b1
 as appears from an ancient altar on    
which were inscribed the words ,,bolcano
 ,,sac4 ,,ara4 ,this spelling indicates 
the true derivation of the name1 which  
is simply a corruption of ,tubal-cain1  
who was an instructer of every artificer
 in brass and iron 7,gen4 iv4 #bb74 ,the
 ancient heathen1 having deified this   
personage1 imagined1 on first seeing a  
burning mountain1 that ,tubal-cain1 or  
,vulcan1 must have established his forge

 in the heart of it1 and so1 not        
unnaturally1 named it ,volcano--an      
appellation which the ,island of ,hiera 
retains to the present day4  ,the       
,cyclops--the supposed descendants of   
,vulcan1 who were fabled to have been of
 gigantic stature1 and to have had each 
only one eye in the centre of the       
forehead--were imagined to be the       
workmen who laboured in these           
underground forges4 ,the noises1        
proceeding from the heart of the        
mountain1 were attributed to their      
operations4 ,it is to the ,island of    
,hiera that ,virgil alludes in the neid1
 lib4 viii4 #daf4 ,the passage is thus  
rendered by ,dryden3--       ,sacred to 
,vulcan's name1 an isle there lay1      
,betwixt ,sicilia's coasts and ,lipare1 
,raised high on smoking rocks1 and deep 
below1       ,in hollow caves the fires 
of ,etna glow4       ,the ,cyclops here 
their heavy hammers deal2       ,loud   
strokes and hissings of tormented steel 
,are heard around2 the boiling waters   

roar1       ,and smoky flames through   
fuming tunnels soar4  ,a volcano        
generally presents itself to the        
imagination as a mountain sending forth 
from its summit great clouds of smoke   
with vast sheets of flame1 and it is not
 unfrequently so described4 ,the truth  
is1 however1 that a real volcano seldom 
emits either true smoke or true flame4  
,what is mistaken for smoke consists    
merely of vast volumes of fine dust1    
mingled with much steam and other       
vapours--chiefly sulphurous4 ,what      
appears like flames is simply the glare 
from the glowing materials which are    
thrown up towards the top of the        
mountain--this glare being reflected    
from the clouds of dust and steam4      
,illustration3  ,peak of ,teneriffe4    
,the most essential part of a volcano is
 the crater1 a hollow basin1 generally  
of a circular form4 ,it is often of     
large dimensions1 and sometimes of vast 
depth4 ,some volcanoes consist of a     
crater alone1 with scarcely any mountain

 at all2 but in the majority of cases   
the crater is situated on the top of a  
mountain1 which in some instances towers
 to an enormous height4 ,the part of the
 mountain which terminates in the       
principal crater is usually of a conical
 form--much like a glass-house chimney1 
and is therefore named the cone4 ,it is 
generally composed of loose ashes and   
cinders1 with here and there masses of  
stone1 which have been tossed into the  
air by the volcanic forces4 ,in some    
mountains the cone rises out of a hollow
 at a considerable height from the base4
 ,a hollow of this kind is generally    
regarded as having been a former crater1
 which had become extinct before the    
existing cone was raised4 ,there are    
sometimes formed lower down the mountain
 subordinate craters1 smaller than that 
which occupies the summit of the cone4  
,within the crater itself there are     
frequently numerous little cones1 from  
which vapours are continually issuing1  
with occasional volleys of ashes and    

stones4  ,one of the largest and most   
perfect of the volcanic cones in the    
world is that of the ,peak of           
,teneriffe1 of which you have here a    
representation4 ,it conveys a good idea 
of the general form of the cone1 and has
 long been a conspicuous and useful     
landmark to mariners4 ,it is upwards of 
twelve thousand feet in height1 and is  
said to be visible in very clear weather
 at a distance of a hundred miles4  ,the
 most interesting products of an active 
volcano are the streams of lava which it
 pours forth--sometimes from the        
principal crater on the                 
summit--sometimes from the smaller      
craters lower down4 ,this lava consists 
of melted stone4 ,when it issues from   
the mountain its heat is intense and it 
glows like a furnace1 so that1 during   
the night especially1 these fiery rivers
 present a grand yet awful spectacle4   
,the streams spread themselves till they
 sometimes attain a breadth of several  
miles1 with a depth of several hundred  

feet1 and they flow onward till their   
length sometimes reaches fifty miles4   
,lava1 not being so liquid as water1    
does not flow so rapidly3 nevertheless1 
when it is careering down the sides of a
 mountain1 or where the slope of the    
ground is considerable1 it advances with
 great speed4 ,even when at its hottest1
 it is somewhat viscid1 like treacle1   
and this viscidness increases as it     
cools4 ,hence on a level plain1 and at  
some distance from its source1 the      
lava-stream advances at a leisurely     
pace4 ,in such circumstances the cooling
 proceeds so quickly that a crust of    
considerable thickness is soon formed on
 the top of the current1 and persons who
 are bold enough may cross the stream by
 means of this natural bridge4 ,even    
where the current continues flowing     
rapidly1 this crust may be formed on its
 surface2 and a man1 whose curiosity    
exceeds his prudence1 may stand on the  
top of it1 bore a hole through the      
crust1 and see the lava flowing         

underneath his feet6  ,nothing can      
resist the progress of the lava-flood2  
trees1 houses1 everything yields to its 
massive assault1 ,the trees take fire   
before its approach1 and when it reaches
 them they emit a hissing noise almost  
amounting to a shriek1 and then plunging
 into the molten flood are seen no more4
 ,even the sea cannot withstand the     
lava-stream1 but retires on its         
approach2 so that promontories          
stretching to a considerable distance   
from the shore are formed in this       
manner1 when the molten matter hardens  
into stone4  ,the eruptions of lava are 
sometimes attended by peculiarities     
which impart to them much additional    
grandeur4 ,instances have occurred in   
which the fiery stream has plunged over 
a sheer precipice of immense height1 so 
as to produce a glowing cascade         
exceeding in breadth and perpendicular  
descent the celebrated ,falls of        
,niagara4 ,in other cases1 the lava1    
instead of at once flowing down the     

sides of the mountain1 has been first   
thrown up into the air as a fiery       
fountain several hundred feet in height4
 ,this happens when the great crater at 
the summit of the cone is full of liquid
 lava but does not overflow4 ,then1 on  
the formation of an opening in the side 
of the cone1 a good way down1 the lava  
issuing from it is projected upwards to 
nearly the same height that it occupies 
in the interior of the crater at the top
 of the cone4 ,it is hardly possible for
 the fancy to picture to itself anything
 so magnificent as such a fountain of   
liquid fire must be4 ,a simple jet of   
water of considerable volume1 thrown    
into the air to the height of a hundred 
feet1 is itself a beautiful spectacle4  
,what then must be a huge jet of glowing
 white lava projected to the height of  
several hundred feet1 and with what an  
awful thundering sound must it come     
tumbling to the ground1 thence to rush  
as a roaring torrent down the mountain's
 side6  ,lava1 when congealed1 differs  

in its consistency according as it is   
near the top or near the bottom of the  
stream4 ,when near the top it is porous1
 owing to its rapid cooling2 when near  
the bottom it is dense1 owing to its    
slow cooling and the great pressure to  
which it is subjected4 ,when the lighter
 superficial lava is brought suddenly   
into contact with water1 as when a      
lava-stream enters the sea1 it becomes  
still lighter and more porous--forming  
the well-known substance called pumice1 
so much used for polishing4 ,it may be  
regarded as the solidified froth of     
lava1 and is so light that it floats on 
the surface of water4  ,the lavas of    
different mountains1 when cooled and    
hardened1 differ much in their          
appearance and composition4 ,among those
 of ,iceland is found the beautiful     
black volcanic glass named obsidian4 ,it
 is a good deal used for ornamental     
purposes2 for it possesses the peculiar 
property of presenting a different      
appearance according to the manner in   

which it is cut4 ,when cut in one       
direction it is of a beautiful jetty    
black2 when cut across that direction it
 is glistering gray4 ,the lavas of      
,vesuvius are generally of a brown      
colour1 and are also used in the arts4  
,in them are found the beautiful        
olive-green crystals of the mineral     
called olivine1 sometimes used by       
jewellers4 ,but the most useful of all  
volcanic productions is native sulphur1 
in which ,mount ,etna has been very     
prolific4 ,it is to this mountain       
chiefly1 therefore1 that we are indebted
 for our beautiful fire-works--our      
squibs1 crackers1 ,roman candles1       
serpents1 ,catherine-wheels1 and        
sky-rockets4 ,would it had produced     
nothing more harmful than these6 ,but it
 has also supplied one of the           
ingredients of that villainous          
gunpowder1 which has been the means of  
thrusting so many of our                
fellow-creatures prematurely out of the 
world4 ,etna1 however1 can hardly be    

held responsible for this sad misuse of 
the valuable substance which it affords2
 while even gunpowder itself has1 on the
 whole1 been of vast benefit to mankind4
 ,could we only refrain from shooting   
each other with it1 we might regard it  
as an almost unmixed good2 for it has   
helped us greatly in forming our roads1 
railways1 and tunnels1 and in working   
our quarries and mines4  ,in all great  
eruptions the flow of the lava is       
preceded by the ejection of vast        
quantities of volcanic dust1 ashes1     
dross1 slag1 and loose stones4 ,these   
are tossed into the air with tremendous 
violence1 consequently1 to a great      
height4 ,the stones thus ejected are    
sometimes of immense size4 ,a rock1     
whose weight is estimated at two hundred
 tons1 was thrown from the summit of    
,cotopaxi to the distance of more than  
ten miles4 ,large stones have been      
tossed up by ,vesuvius to the estimated 
height of three thousand six hundred    
feet4 ,the dust of the volcano of ,st4  

,vincent was carried more than two      
hundred miles to the eastward in the    
teeth of the trade wind2 consequently it
 must have been thrown to an enormous   
height1 in order to its falling at so   
vast a distance from its source4        
,besides the usual volcanic dust and    
ashes1 there is sometimes thrown from   
the crater of a volcano a substance     
resembling spun-glass or asbestos4 ,it  
possesses the flexibility and lustre of 
silk4 ,the volcano of ,salazes1 in the  
,island of ,bourbon1 is remarkable for  
this substance1 and it has there been   
seen to form a cloud covering the entire
 surface of the mountain4 ,but it has   
also been found in other places4 ,how   
curious it would be to have this        
volcanic silk spun into threads1 and    
knitted into stockings or woven into a  
garment6 ,who can tell what may happen  
in these days of adventure and          
invention8 ,who knows but what some     
young reader1 whose eye is now resting  
on this page1 may yet live to present   

his ladylove with a pair of knitted     
gloves composed of the volcanic silk of 
,salazes8  ,great as the contrast is    
between this filmy material and the     
ponderous blocks tossed into the air by 
,cotopaxi and ,etna1 it is not greater  
than that between the latter and other  
masses which have from time to time been
 upheaved by volcanic forces4 ,instances
 have occurred of whole islands having  
been raised from the bed of the ocean1  
or whole mountains upreared on the      
surface of the land1 far away from the  
sea1 and that too in the short space of 
a few hours4 ,but of such we shall have 
occasion to speak more at large in the  
sequel4  ,of all the extraordinary      
productions that have ever been thrown  
up by volcanoes1 the strangest of all   
are fishes4 ,how droll to dine upon fish
 cooked in a volcano6 ,a queer fish it  
must be that likes to dwell in the      
bowels of a mountain--more especially of
 one whose entrails are mostly of liquid
 fire4 ,but of this also more fully     

anon4  ,in addition to the solid        
materials thrown out by volcanoes1 there
 are sometimes poured forth torrents of 
boiling water and liquid mud4 ,more     
frequently1 however1 the water issues in
 the form of vast columns of steam and  
sulphurous vapour4 ,these ascend to     
great heights in the air1 and becoming  
gradually chilled1 they form immense    
masses of dark heavy clouds1 similar to 
those we observe before a thunderstorm4 
,nor is this resemblance apparent only4 
,for the clouds that overhang an active 
volcano during an eruption of its       
vapours are1 in reality1 thunderclouds  
highly charged with electricity4 ,they  
accordingly produce what ,baron         
,humboldt calls the volcanic storm4 ,it 
includes all the most terrible of       
atmospheric phenomena--lightnings of    
extraordinary vividness2 thunders that  
peal and reverberate as if they would   
rend the echoes asunder2 torrents of    
rain that pour down upon the mountain   
and its neighbourhood1 hissing like     

thousands of serpents when they fall on 
the glowing lava-torrent2 and whirlwinds
 that sweep the volcanic ashes round and
 round in vast eddies1 and before whose 
violence no man of mortal mould is able 
for a moment to stand4  ,beyond and     
above this din of contending elements   
are heard the hoarse bellowings of the  
mountain itself1 which1 meanwhile1      
trembles to its very core4 ,the         
detonations from the volcano far exceed 
in loudness any other earthly noise4    
,compared with these1 the pealing of the
 loudest thunder is but as the report of
 a musket contrasted with the           
simultaneous discharge of a thousand    
pieces of heavy ordnance4 ,the          
explosions of ,tomboro1 and the         
vibrations accompanying them1 have been 
heard and felt at almost incredible     
distances4 ,judge1 then1 of the         
immensity of the forces which are thus  
brought into play1 and the overwhelming 
grandeur of the scene which such an     
eruption1 with all its accompaniments of

 storm and tempest1 must present to the 
bewildered eye and ear4 ,even to read of
 it sends a thrill through the nerves3  
what1 then1 must it be to listen and    
behold8  ,so far do we dwell from the   
nearest volcanoes1 and so little are we 
familiar with the names except of a few1
 that not many persons are aware of the 
large number of burning mountains on the
 face of our globe4 ,the total number1  
however1 of those which are known to    
have been active within historic times  
is fully two hundred4 ,of these1 the    
most familiar to us for its classic fame
 and its restless activity is ,mount    
,vesuvius1 which stands alone in its    
grandeur on the continent of ,europe4   
,the most violent in its activity is    
,tomboro1 in the island of ,sumbwa4 ,the
 highest is ,cotopaxi1 in the range of  
the ,andes1 which rises far into the    
region of perpetual snow4 ,its height is
 #af1hjj feet above the level of the    
sea4 ,strange it seems1 that volcanic   
fires should glow at such a height in   

the midst of snow and ice4 ,but in this 
particular ,cotopaxi does not stand     
alone4 ,the ,peak of ,teneriffe1 ,mount 
,etna1 and several others1 also rise    
above the snow-line2 while the burning  
mountains of ,iceland1 ,greenland1 and  
,kamtschatka1 with those which rear     
their heads in the frozen regions near  
the ,south ,pole1 are for the most part 
enveloped in ice and snow from head to  
foot4  ,before proceeding to describe to
 you some of the more interesting of the
 individual volcanoes and volcanic      
groups1 it may be well to let you into a
 secret worth knowing4 ,you would       
doubtless like to have a volcano all to 
yourself4 ,here is the receipt3 ,buy    
several pounds of clean iron filings1   
and a somewhat larger quantity of the   
flowers of sulphur4 ,mix the two        
together and knead them well with water 
into a stiffish paste4 ,then wrap this  
pudding in a cloth1 and put another     
cloth about it1 which has been smeared  
with common or coal-tar4 ,dig a hole in 

some quiet corner of your garden1 pop   
your dumpling into it1 and cover it well
 up with earth1 treading it down firmly 
with your feet4 ,not many hours will    
elapse before you will see the ground   
swell like a molehill2 an eruption will 
ensue1 and you will be the happy        
possessor of a ,stromboli of your own6  
,,chapter ,,ii4  ,volcanoes of          
,iceland--,mount ,hecla--,earliest      
,eruption--,great ,eruption in          
#ahde--,skaptr ,ykul--,terrible         
,eruption in #aghc--,rise and           
,disappearance of ,nyo--,katlugaia--,the
 ,geysers--,a very hot ,bath            
--,californian                          
,geysers--,iceland-spar--,jan ,mayen    
,we shall begin with the volcanoes of   
,iceland1 of which the most interesting 
and active is ,mount ,hecla4 ,the       
annexed woodcut will give you an idea of
 its appearance4 ,you will observe the  
column of volcanic vapour ascending from
 the snow-clad summit of the cone1 and  
how dreary and desolate is the aspect of

 the country at its base4  ,the earliest
 recorded eruption of ,mount ,hecla took
 place in the ninth century of the      
,christian era2 but probably there had  
been many before that date4 ,since then 
there have been between twenty and      
thirty considerable eruptions of this   
mountain1 and it has sometimes remained 
in a state of activity for upwards of   
six years with little intermission4 ,it 
took a long rest1 however1 of more than 
sixty years' duration1 prior to the year
 #ahde1 when it again burst forth4      
,after a violent storm on the night of  
the #bnd of ,september in that year1 the
 surface of the ground in the ,orkney   
,islands was found strown with volcanic 
dust4 ,there was thus conveyed to the   
inhabitants of ,great ,britain an       
intimation that ,hecla had been again at
 work4 ,accordingly1 tidings soon after 
arrived of a great eruption of the      
mountain4 ,on the night of the #ast of  
,september1 the dwellers in its         
neighbourhood were terrified by a       

fearful underground groaning1 which     
continued till mid-day on the #bnd4     
,then1 with a tremendous crash1 there   
were formed in the sides of the cone two
 large openings1 whence there gushed    
torrents of lava1 which flowed down two 
gorges on the flanks of the mountain4   
,the whole summit was enveloped in      
clouds of vapour and volcanic dust4 ,the
 neighbouring rivers became so hot as to
 kill the fish1 and the sheep fled in   
terror from the adjoining heaths1 some  
being burnt before they could escape4   
,on the night of the #aeth of           
,september1 two new openings were       
formed--one on the eastern1 and the     
other on the southern slope--from both  
of which lava was discharged for        
twenty-two hours4 ,it flowed to a       
distance of upwards of twenty miles1    
killing many cattle and destroying a    
large tract of pasturage4 ,twelve miles 
from the crater1 the lava-stream was    
between forty and fifty feet deep and   
nearly a mile in width4 ,on the #abth of

 ,october a fresh torrent of lava burst 
forth1 and heaped up another similar    
mass4 ,the mountain continued in a state
 of activity up to ,april #ahdf2 then it
 rested for a while1 and began again in 
the following month of ,october4 ,since 
then1 however1 it has enjoyed repose4   
,the effects of these eruptions were    
disastrous4 ,the whole island was strown
 with volcanic ashes1 which1 where they 
did not smother the grass outright1 gave
 it a poisonous taint4 ,the cattle that 
ate of it were attacked by a murrain1 of
 which great numbers died4 ,the ice and 
snow1 which had gathered about the      
mountain for a long period of time1 were
 wholly melted by the heat4 ,masses of  
pumice weighing nearly half a ton were  
thrown to a distance of between four and
 five miles4  ,illustration3  ,mount    
,hecla  ,mount ,hecla is not the only   
volcano in ,iceland4 ,there are several 
others2 and from one of them1 named     
,skaptr ,ykul1 there was1 in the year   
#aghc1 an eruption still more violent   

than that from ,hecla above described4  
,it began on the #hth of ,june1 and     
raged with little abatement till the end
 of ,august1 whence onward it continued1
 but with less violence1 till the       
following year4 ,the lava1 in this case1
 poured from numerous openings2 but     
these rivulets ultimately united        
themselves into two large currents1     
which flowed onwards to the sea4 ,in    
their progress1 these burning torrents  
filled up the beds of two considerable  
rivers4 ,the greater of the two streams1
 after it had ceased to flow and had    
become a solid mass of rock1 measured   
fifty miles in length1 and between      
twelve and fifteen miles in breadth4    
,its average depth on the plains was    
about a hundred feet2 but in the bed of 
the river1 which it had filled1 it was  
not less than six hundred feet4 ,the    
snow and ice1 which had previously      
covered the mountain1 were not only     
melted1 but the water that flowed from  
them was raised to the boiling point1   

and poured down with destructive effect 
on the plains4 ,the dust and ashes      
thrown into the air darkened the sun2   
and they were then strown over the      
surface of the island1 destroying all   
the pastures1 so that many thousands of 
cattle1 horses1 and sheep perished4 ,but
 worse than that1 upwards of nine       
thousand persons lost their lives by    
this dreadful catastrophe4  ,about a    
month before this great eruption of     
,skaptr ,ykul1 a volcanic island was    
thrown up from the sea1 at a distance of
 about seventy miles from ,iceland4 ,so 
great was the quantity of ashes and     
dross ejected from its crater1 that it  
overspread the sea to a distance of a   
hundred and fifty miles1 forming a crust
 which obstructed the progress of ships4
 ,portions of this crust floated as far 
as the ,shetland and ,orkney islands4   
,the ,king of ,denmark named this fiery 
apparition ,nyo1 or ,new ,island1 and   
doubtless prided himself not a little on
 this addition to his limited dominions4

 ,but1 alas1 for human ambition6 ,about 
a year after the date of its first      
appearance1 ,nyo sank into the depths   
out of which it arose1 and its position 
is now marked only by a moderate shoal4 
,it is not by their ejected lavas alone 
that the volcanoes of ,iceland produce  
their destructive effects4 ,disastrous  
consequences have frequently resulted   
from the sudden melting of their snows  
and glaciers1 on which the volcanic     
fires operate far more rapidly than does
 the heat of the sun4 ,it is chiefly by 
the vast quantities of earth1 sand1     
stones1 and broken fragments of rock1   
which they hurry along with them in     
their wild career1 that the waters1 so  
suddenly freed1 produce the greatest    
amount of damage4 ,during an eruption of
 ,katlugaia1 one of the southern        
,icelandic volcanoes1 in #agef1 the mass
 of material thus carried down by the   
melted snows and glaciers was so great1 
that1 advancing several leagues into the
 sea1 it formed three parallel          

promontories1 which rose above the      
sea-level1 where there had formerly been
 a depth of forty fathoms of water4     
,vast ravines were1 at the same time1   
scooped out of the sides of the mountain
 by the erosion of the waters4 ,another 
eruption of this volcano in #ahfj       
produced similar results4  ,still more  
interesting than the volcanic mountains 
of ,iceland are its ,geysers1 or        
intermittent springs of boiling water4  
,the chief of these is the ,great       
,geyser4 ,a jet rises to a vast height1 
and is accompanied by much steam4       
,indeed1 it is quite at the             
boiling-point4  ,the little mound1 from 
the top of which the jet appears to     
rise1 is composed of a substance named  
siliceous sinter1 and is a deposit from 
the water of the fountain4 ,at the top  
of this mound1 which is between six and 
seven feet in height1 there is an oval  
basin1 measuring about fifty-six feet in
 one direction1 and about forty-six in  
the other2 its average depth is about   

three feet4 ,in the centre of this basin
 is a round hole1 about ten feet in     
diameter1 out of which the water        
springs4 ,this hole is the mouth of a   
circular well1 between seventy and      
eighty feet in depth4 ,it is down this  
well that the jet retires on its        
disappearance2 and it drags along with  
it all the water out of the basin1      
leaving both basin and well quite empty1
 without even a puff of steam coming out
 of the hole4 ,in this state of         
emptiness the basin and well remain for 
several hours4 ,suddenly the water      
begins to rise in the well1 overflowing 
till it fills the basin4 ,loud          
explosions are heard from below1 and the
 ground trembles4 ,then1 with amazing   
violence1 up springs a vast column of   
boiling water1 surmounted by clouds of  
steam1 which obscure the air4 ,this     
first jet is followed by several others 
in rapid succession1 to the number of   
sixteen or eighteen2 the last jet being 
usually the greatest of all1 and        

attaining a height of nearly a hundred  
feet4 ,in some instances it has risen to
 a height of a hundred and fifty feet2  
and one particular jet was measured     
which rose to the amazing height of two 
hundred and twelve feet4  ,the action of
 the fountain seldom continues more than
 about five minutes at a time1 and then 
a repose of several hours ensues4 ,if   
left to itself1 the periods of the      
fountain's activity1 though not quite   
regular1 generally recur at intervals of
 six or seven hours4 ,but they may be   
hastened by throwing big stones down the
 well4 ,this not only hurries the       
eruption of the jet1 but increases its  
energy1 and the stones are thrown out   
with great force by the column of       
boiling water2 the loudness of the      
explosions being also considerably      
augmented4  ,there are several other    
geysers in the island besides this big  
one4 ,their jets are smaller1 but to    
compensate this deficiency1 they are    
more frequent in their ascent2 so that  

travellers who are too impatient to     
await the eruptions of the ,great       
,geyser1 content themselves with        
visiting the little ones4  ,would it not
 be very convenient to live near a      
geyser8 ,we might have our victuals     
cooked by it1 and have pipes led from it
 all round our house1 to keep us        
comfortable in winter2 and we might have
 nice hot baths in our dressing-rooms1  
arid even a little steam-engine to roast
 our meat and grind our coffee4 ,but    
perhaps you may think it might not be   
altogether pleasant to be kept so       
continually in hot water4  ,were any of 
the water from the geyser to fall on    
your hands1 you would doubtless feel it 
rather sore2 still more so1 were you to 
be so rash as to thrust your hand fairly
 into the jet of boiling water1 as it   
ascends into the air4 ,nevertheless1    
strange as it may seem1 it would be     
possible for you1 without feeling any   
pain or sustaining any injury1 to thrust
 your hand right into the glowing lava  

as it flows from the crater of ,hecla4  
,the only precaution needful to be      
observed1 is first to plunge the hand   
into cold water1 and then dry it gently 
with a soft towel1 but so as to leave it
 still a little moist4 ,this discovery  
was made by a ,french philosopher1 ,m4  
,boutigny1 and has been practically     
proved both by him and ,m4 ,houdin1 the 
celebrated conjuror1 by thrusting their 
hands into molten iron1 as it flowed    
from the furnace4 ,the latter describes 
the sensation as like what one might    
imagine to be felt on putting the hand  
into liquid velvet4#a ,the reason why   
this experiment proves so harmless is   
that between the skin and the glowing   
substance there is formed a film of     
vapour1 which acts as a complete        
protection4 ,it is this elastic cushion 
of vapour which imparts that feeling of 
softness described by ,m4 ,houdin2 for  
it is with it alone that the hand comes 
into contact4  #a4 ,houdin's            
,autobiography1 ii #bgj  ,geysers have  

been recently discovered in ,california2
 but the jets do not rise higher than   
twenty or thirty feet4 ,they are1       
however1 very numerous1 there being     
upwards of a hundred openings within a  
space of half a mile square4 ,the vapour
 from the whole group rises to upwards  
of a hundred and fifty feet into the    
air4 ,the boiling water issues from     
conical mounds1 with great noise4 ,the  
whole ground around them is a mere      
crust1 and when it is penetrated the    
boiling water is seen underneath4 ,the  
,californian geysers1 however1 are      
impregnated1 not with silica1 like those
 of ,iceland1 but with sulphur1 of which
 they form large deposits4 ,the         
sulphurous vapours from the water       
corrode the rocks near the fountains2   
nevertheless trees grow1 without injury 
to their health1 at a distance from them
 of not more than fifty feet4  ,besides 
obsidian1 already mentioned as a product
 of its volcanoes1 ,iceland is famed for
 another mineral of great scientific    

value4 ,it is that fine variety of      
carbonate of lime named ,iceland-spar4  
,transparent and colourless1 like glass1
 this mineral possesses the property of 
double refraction--any small object     
viewed through it in a particular       
direction appearing double4 ,it is much 
used for optical purposes--especially   
for obtaining polarized light4  ,there  
is another volcano lying far to the     
northward of ,iceland4 ,it is in the    
island of ,jan ,mayen1 off the coast of 
,greenland1 and has on its summit a vast
 crater1 #bjjj feet in diameter1 and    
#ejj in depth4     ,,chapter ,,iii4     
,mount ,vesuvius--,origin of            
,name--,former ,condition--,eruption of 
,a ,d #gi--;,death of                   
,pliny--,destruction of ,pompeii and    
,herculaneum--,appearance of the        
,mountain before and after              
,eruption--,formation of ,monte         
,nuovo--,eruption of ,boiling           
,water--,coloured ,vapours--,cascade of 
,lava--,discovery of ,remains of        

,herculaneum and ,pompeii--,the         
,buildings of ,pompeii--,street of      
,tombs--,skeletons--,sundry             
,shops--,ascents of                     
,vesuvius--,crater--,temple of ,serapis4
   ,mount ,vesuvius is the only active  
volcano on the continent of ,europe1 and
 it is highly interesting both from its 
historical associations and the         
frequency of its eruptions4 ,it is      
situated on the coast of the ,bay of    
,naples1 about six miles to the eastward
 of the city and at a short distance    
from the shore4 ,it forms a conspicuous 
feature in the beautiful landscape      
presented by that bay1 when viewed from 
the sea1 with the city in the           
foreground4  ,mount ,vesuvius was in    
ancient times held sacred to the deified
 hero ,hercules1 and the town of        
,herculaneum1 built at its base1 was    
named after him4 ,so also1 it is said1  
was the mountain itself1 though in a    
more round-about way4 ,hercules1 as you 
will doubtless learn1 was feigned to    

have been the son of the heathen god    
,zeus and ,alcmena1 a ,theban lady4 ,now
 one of the appellations of ,zeus was 1 
which was applied to him as being the   
god of rains and dews--the wet divinity4
 ,thus ,hercules was 1 the son of ,ves4 
,how this name should have become       
corrupted into ,vesuvius1 you can be at 
no loss to perceive4  ,vesuvius was not 
always a volcano4 ,it was for many ages 
a very peaceable and well-behaved       
mountain4 ,ancient writers describe it  
as having been covered with gardens and 
vineyards1 except at the top which was  
craggy4 ,within a large circle of nearly
 perpendicular cliffs1 was a flat space 
sufficient for the encampment of an     
army4 ,this was doubtless an ancient    
crater2 but nobody in those times knew  
anything of its history4 ,so little was 
the volcanic nature of the mountain     
suspected1 that the ,roman towns of     
,stabi1 ,pompeii1 and ,herculaneum had  
been erected at its base1 and their     
inhabitants dwelt in fancied security4  

,in the year ,a4,d4 #fc1 however1 the   
dwellers in the cities got a great      
fright2 for the mountain shook          
violently1 and a good many houses were  
thrown down4 ,but soon all became quiet 
again1 and the people set about         
rebuilding the houses that had fallen4  
,they continued to live in apparent     
safety for some time longer4 ,they      
danced1 they sung1 they feasted2 they   
married1 and were altogether as merry a 
set of citizens as any in southern      
,italy4 ,but the #bdth of ,august ,a4,d4
 #gi at length arrived4 ,then1 woe to   
,stabi6 woe to ,pompeii6 woe to         
,herculaneum6  ,pliny the elder was that
 day in command of the ,roman fleet at  
,misenum1 which was not far off4 ,his   
family were with him1 and1 among others1
 his nephew1 ,pliny the younger1 who has
 left an interesting account of what    
happened on the occasion4 ,he observed  
an extraordinary dense cloud ascending  
in the direction of ,vesuvius1 of which 
he says3--,i cannot give you a more     

exact description of its figure1 than by
 resembling it to that of a pine tree2  
for it shot up to a great height in the 
form of a tall trunk1 which spread out  
at the top into a sort of branches4 ,it 
appeared sometimes bright1 and sometimes
 dark and spotted1 as it was either more
 or less impregnated with earth and     
cinders  ,on seeing this remarkable     
appearance1 the elder ,pliny1 who was a 
great naturalist and a man of inquiring 
mind1 resolved to go ashore and inspect 
more narrowly what was going on4 ,but a 
rash resolve it proved4 ,steering       
towards ,retina 7now ,resina71 a port at
 the foot of the mountain1 he was met1  
on his approach1 by thick showers of hot
 cinders1 which grew thicker and hotter 
as he advanced--falling on the ships    
along with lumps of pumice and pieces of
 rock1 black but burning hot4 ,vast     
fragments came rolling down the mountain
 and gathered in heaps upon the shore4  
,then the sea began suddenly to retreat1
 so that landing at this point became   

impracticable4 ,he therefore steered for
 ,stabi1 where he landed1 and took up   
his abode with ,pomponianus--an intimate
 friend4  ,meanwhile1 flames appeared to
 issue from several parts of the        
mountain with great violence--the       
darkness of the night heightening their 
glare4 ,pliny nevertheless went to      
sleep4 ,soon1 however1 the court leading
 to his chamber became almost filled    
with stones and ashes2 so his servants  
awoke him1 and he joined ,pomponianus   
and his household4 ,the house now began 
to rock violently to and fro2 while     
outside1 stones and cinders were falling
 in showers4 ,they1 notwithstanding1    
thought it safer to make their way out  
from the tottering mansion2 so1 tying   
pillows upon their heads with napkins1  
they sallied forth4 ,although it was now
 day1 the darkness was deeper than that 
of the blackest night4 ,by the aid of   
torches and lanterns1 however1 they     
groped their way towards the beach1 with
 a view to escape by sea2 but they found

 the waves too high and tumultuous4     
,here ,pliny1 having drunk some cold    
water1 lay down upon a sailcloth which  
was spread for him2 when almost         
immediately flames1 preceded by a strong
 smell of sulphur1 issuing from the     
ground1 scattered the company and forced
 him to rise4 ,with the help of two of  
his servants he succeeded in raising    
himself2 but1 choked by some noxious    
vapour1 he instantly fell down dead4    
,illustration3  ,vesuvius ,before the   
,eruption of ,a4,d4 #gi4  ,nor was he   
alone in his death2 for although many of
 the inhabitants of the devoted cities  
were able to effect their escape2 yet1  
so suddenly did the overwhelming shower 
of ashes1 cinders1 and stones fall upon 
them1 that not a few of them perished in
 their dwellings or their streets4 ,as  
for the cities themselves1 they were    
utterly buried completely out of sight1 
and1 like other things that are long out
 of sight1 they soon became also buried 
out of mind4 ,for many centuries they   

remained entirely forgotten4  ,you will 
doubtless like to know how ,vesuvius    
looked1 after doing so much mischief4   
,here is a picture showing what like it 
was immediately before the eruption2 and
 one showing its appearance soon after  
the event4 ,on comparing the two1 you   
will observe the mountain had undergone 
a great change4 ,it was no longer flat  
on the top1 but had formed for itself a 
large cone1 from the summit of which    
dense vapours ascended4 ,this cone was  
composed entirely of the ashes1 cinders1
 and loose stones1 thrown up during the 
eruption4 ,it had become separated by a 
deep ravine from the remainder of the   
former summit1 which afterwards came to 
be distinguished by the name ,monte     
,somma4 ,the whole of the forests1      
vineyards1 and other luxuriant          
vegetation1 which had covered that      
portion of the sides of ,vesuvius where 
the eruption took place1 were destroyed4
 ,nothing could be more striking than   
the contrast between the beautiful      

appearance of the mountain before this  
catastrophe1 and its desolate aspect    
after the sad event4 ,this remarkable   
contrast forms the subject of one of    
,martial's ,epigrams1 lib4 iv4 ,ep4 #dd4
 ,it is thus rendered by ,mr4           
,addison3--  ,illustration3  ,vesuvius  
after the ,eruption of ,a4,d4 #gi4      
,vesuvius covered with the fruitful vine
       ,here flourished once1 and ran   
with floods of wine4       ,here        
,bacchus oft to the cool shades retired1
       ,and his own native ,nysa less   
admired4       ,oft to the mountain's   
airy tops advanced1       ,the frisking 
,satyrs on the summit danced4           
,alcides #a here1 here ,venus graced the
 shore1       ,nor loved her favourite  
,lacedaemon more4       ,now piles of   
ashes1 spreading all around1       ,in  
undistinguished heaps deform the ground4
       ,the gods themselves the ruined  
seats bemoan1       ,and blame the      
mischiefs that themselves have done4    
#a4 ,hercules  ,since the eruption of   

,a4,d4 #gi1 ,vesuvius has had many fits 
of activity with intervals of rest4 ,in 
,a4,d4 #dgb1 it threw out so great a    
quantity of ashes1 that they overspread 
all ,europe1 and filled even            
,constantinople with alarm4 ,in ,a4,d4  
#ajcf occurred the first eruption in    
which there was any ejection of lava4   
,this eruption was followed by five     
others1 the last of which occurred in   
#aejj4 ,to these succeeded a long rest  
of about a hundred and thirty years1    
during which the mountain had again     
become covered with gardens and         
vineyards as of old4 ,even the inside of
 the crater had become clothed with     
shrubbery4  ,in this interval1 however1 
there was an extraordinary eruption--not
 of ,vesuvius itself1 but at no great   
distance from it1 in the ,bay of ,bai1  
on the opposite shore of the ,bay of    
,naples4 ,the whole of this             
neighbourhood is a volcanic country1 and
 was anciently named the ,phlegran      
,fields4 ,it contains a crater in a     

state of subdued activity1 called the   
,solfatara2 an extinct volcano having a 
large crater called ,monte ,barbaro2 and
 ,lake ,avernus1 also supposed to be an 
extinct volcanic crater4 ,between ,monte
 ,barbaro and the sea1 there was        
formerly a fiat piece of ground         
bordering on the ,lucrine ,lake1 which  
is separated from the ,bay of ,bai by a 
narrow strip of shingle4 ,on the #bith  
of ,september #aech1 the flat piece of  
ground above mentioned became the scene 
of a great eruption1 which resulted in  
the throwing up of a new elevation to   
the height of four hundred and thirteen 
feet1 and with a circumference of eight 
thousand feet4 ,it received the name of 
,monte ,nuovo1 and is now covered with a
 luxuriant vegetation4  ,in #afca there 
was another dreadful eruption of ,mount 
,vesuvius1 which covered with lava most 
of the villages at the foot of the      
mountain4 ,to add to the calamity1      
torrents of boiling water were1 on this 
occasion1 thrown out by the volcano1    

producing awful destruction4  ,there    
have been since that time numerous      
eruptions1 which it would be tedious to 
mention in detail2 but two of them are  
worthy of notice4 ,during an eruption in
 ,february #ahdh1 a column of vapours   
arose from the crater about forty feet  
high1 presenting a variety of colours2  
and a short time afterwards there arose 
ten circles1 which were black1 white1   
and green1 and which ultimately assumed 
the form of a cone4 ,a similar          
appearance had been observed in #ahbj4  
,more recently1 in ,may #ahee1 a great  
stream of glowing lava1 about two       
hundred feet in breadth1 flowed towards 
a vast ravine nearly a thousand feet in 
depth4 ,the first descent into this     
chasm is a sheer precipice1 over which  
the lava dashed heavily1 forming a      
magnificent cascade of liquid fire4  ,of
 the buried cities of ,herculaneum and  
,pompeii no traces were discovered till 
the year #agac1 when some labourers1 in 
digging a well1 came upon the remains of

 ,herculaneum about twenty-four feet    
underground4 ,little attention1 however1
 was paid to the discovery at that time2
 but in #agdh a peasant1 digging in his 
vineyard1 stumbled on some ancient works
 of art4 ,on sinking a shaft at this    
spot to the depth of twelve feet1 the   
remains of ,pompeii were found4 ,this   
discovery led to further researches1 and
 the exact positions of the two cities  
were erelong ascertained4 ,the work of  
disinterment has continued with little  
interruption from that to the present   
time1 and many valuable specimens of    
ancient art have been brought to light4 
,the greatest progress has been made at 
,pompeii2 because the stuff1 in which it
 was buried1 is far looser than that    
which covers ,herculaneum4 ,in the      
former city1 although it was anciently  
reckoned only a third-rate place1 there 
have already been discovered eight      
temples1 a forum1 a basilica1 two       
theatres1 a magnificent amphitheatre1   
and public baths4 ,the ramparts1        

composed of huge blocks of stone1 have  
also been exposed4 ,one of the most     
remarkable places is the ,cemetery4 ,it 
consists of a broad path covered with   
pavement1 and bordered on either side   
with stately monuments1 placed over the 
tombs of the wealthy citizens of the    
place1 and in which whole families have 
been interred4  ,the houses were found  
filled with elegant furniture1 the walls
 of the apartments adorned with         
beautiful paintings4 ,numerous statues1 
vases1 lamps1 and other elegant works of
 art1 have been recovered4 ,many        
skeletons have also been found1 in the  
exact positions in which the living men 
were caught by the deadly shower of     
suffocating ashes4 ,the excavators came 
upon the skeleton of a miser1 who had   
been attempting to escape from his      
house1 and whose bony fingers were still
 clutching the purse which contained the
 treasure he loved4 ,there were also    
found in the barracks at ,pompeii the   
skeletons of two soldiers chained to the

 stocks2 and the writings scribbled by  
the soldiers on the walls are still     
quite legible4 ,in the vaults of a villa
 in the suburbs were discovered the     
skeletons of seventeen persons1 who had 
probably sought refuge there1 and been  
entombed4 ,the stuff in which they were 
imbedded had been originally soft1 but  
had become hardened through time4 ,in   
this substance was found a cavity1      
containing the skeleton of a female with
 an infant in her arms4 ,although       
nothing but the bones remained1 the     
cavity contained a perfect cast of the  
woman's figure--thus showing that she   
must have been imbedded in the substance
 while alive4 ,round the neck of this   
skeleton there was a gold chain1 and on 
the fingers jewelled rings4  ,in many of
 the houses the names of the owners over
 the doors are still legible1 and the   
fresco-paintings on the inner walls are 
still quite fresh and beautiful4 ,the   
public fountains are adorned with shells
 formed into patterns2 and in the room  

of a painter there was found a          
collection of shells in perfectly good  
order4 ,a large quantity of fishing-nets
 was found in both the cities1 and in   
,herculaneum some pieces of linen       
retaining its texture4 ,there also was  
discovered a fruiterer's shop1 with     
vessels full of almonds1 chestnuts1     
carubs1 and walnuts4 ,in another shop   
stood a glass vessel containing moist   
olives1 and a jar with caviare--the     
preserved roe of the sturgeon4 ,in the  
shop of an apothecary stood a box that  
had contained pills1 now reduced to     
powder1 which had been prepared for a   
patient destined never to swallow       
them--a happy circumstance for him1 if  
he eventually escaped from the city4    
,very recently there has been laid open 
a baker's shop1 with the loaves of bread
 on the shelves1 all ready for his      
customers1 but doomed never to be eaten4
 ,these loaves are of the same form as  
those still made in that country1 and on
 being analyzed were found to consist of

 the same ingredients as modern bread4  
,mount ,vesuvius rises rather abruptly  
from the plain on which it stands4 ,the 
circuit of the base is about twelve     
miles1 and the height of the summit     
above the level of the sea about three  
thousand feet4 ,this latter measurement1
 however1 alters from time to time1     
owing to the variable height of the     
cone4 ,its moderate elevation1 and the  
ease with which it may be approached1   
have induced many travellers to ascend  
the mountain2 and not a few have        
recorded their experiences4 ,so frequent
 are the eruptions of the volcano1      
however1 and so much do they change the 
aspect of the crater1 that any          
description remains correct for only a  
limited time4  ,within the last hundred 
years the crater has been five times    
wholly altered1 in consequence of its   
interior having been completely blown   
out1 and its walls having crumbled down4
 ,when ,sir ,william ,hamilton ascended 
the mountain in #agef1 it had no less   

than three craters and cones1 one within
 another4 ,the outermost was a very     
wide-mouthed cone4 ,within it rose      
centrically another1 smaller in size and
 narrower in the mouth2 and within that 
again was the third and highest1 having 
a smaller base and still narrower       
opening at the top1 whence the greatest 
volume of vapour ascended4 ,in #agfg    
this innermost cone merged in the       
second1 which was greatly enlarged2 and 
by a subsequent eruption the interval   
between the first and second was        
obliterated1 so that only a single cone 
remained4 ,in #ahbb the whole interior  
of the cone was blown out1 and its walls
 crumbled down1 so as to lower the      
height of the mountain several hundred  
feet4 ,but within the vast gulf1 nearly 
a mile in diameter1 which was thus left 
yawning open1 there soon began to be    
formed a new cone1 which showed itself  
erelong above the jagged edge of the    
crater4 ,eventually this cone increased1
 by the accumulation of ejected matters1

 to such an extent as to obliterate the 
division between it and the rim of the  
former crater--thus once more           
establishing a continuous cone4 ,since  
that time1 the cone and crater have     
twice undergone similar changes4  ,the  
most usual appearance of the crater1    
when in comparative repose1 is that of a
 vast circular or oval hollow basin1    
with nearly perpendicular walls1 broken 
in their continuity1 every here and     
there1 by large projecting dykes1 formed
 by the injection of more recent lavas  
into fissures rent in those which had   
previously become consolidated4 ,below  
the perpendicular walls is a rapid      
slope1 composed of fine ashes or sand1  
descending to the floor of the crater1  
which is1 for the most part1 nearly     
flat4 ,it is much rent by fissures1     
which during the night are seen to glow 
with a ruddy glare1 emanating from the  
hot materials beneath1 and giving to the
 floor the appearance of being          
overspread with a fiery tissue1 like a  

spider's web4 ,from the bottom there    
usually rise one or two small craters of
 eruption1 whence continually issue     
sulphurous fumes1 and which1 at pretty  
regular intervals1 discharge showers of 
stones heated to whiteness4  ,the       
exterior of the cone is composed        
entirely of loose cinders1 ashes1 and   
stones1 so that the ascent is very      
laborious4 ,the region of the mountain  
beneath the cone presents no            
difficulties1 and that part of the      
ascent may be performed on donkeys or   
mules4 ,the view from the top is        
magnificent4 ,the contrast between the  
desolate aspect of the interior of the  
crater1 and the smiling prospect which  
may be seen from its edge1 has been well
 compared to looking out of ,tartarus   
into ,paradise4  ,near ,puzzuoli1 in the
 ,bay of ,bai1 and not far from ,monte  
,nuovo1 stand the ruins of the ,temple  
of ,serapis1 so interesting to          
geologists4 ,these remains1 consisting  
chiefly of the shafts of three marble   

columns1 still erect1 though with a     
slight inclination sea-ward1 afford     
distinct proofs1 confirmed by other     
phenomena in the neighbourhood1 that1   
since the beginning of the ,christian   
era1 the level of the coast in relation 
to that of the sea has changed          
twice--the land having first sunk and   
been then raised again1 each time to the
 extent of upwards of #bj feet4 ,the    
evidence of the submergence of the      
pillars consists mainly of a zone       
commencing at the height of about #ab   
feet above their pedestals1 and         
extending #i feet upwards1 in which are 
numerous perforations1 made by a marine 
bivalve mollusc4 ,the upraising again of
 the ground on which the temple stands1 
to nearly its original height1 appears  
to have occurred about the time of the  
formation of ,monte ,nuovo4             
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,mount ,etna--,its     
,appearance and ,height-,ancient        
,eruptions-,pindar's                    
,allusion--,virgil's                    

,description--,subordinate ,cones and   
,craters--,caverns--,val del            
,bove--,formation of ,monti             
,rossi--,eruption of                    
#aheb--,whirlwinds--,lava               
,torrents--,cascades of                 
,lava--,description of ,crater          
--,empedocles--,enceladus--,craters of  
#ahfe-;,cyclopean ,isles--,homer's      
,legend-,volcanic ,origin--,other       
,basaltic ,groups   ,mount ,etna may    
well be called the ,queen of ,european  
,volcanoes1 so majestic does she look1  
with her lofty summit glistening in the 
sunbeams white with snow1 yet pouring   
forth volumes of vapour4 ,this mountain1
 as you will observe from the annexed   
woodcut1 is altogether more massive in  
its appearance than ,vesuvius4 ,it is   
about three times higher1 rising to     
nearly eleven thousand feet above the   
level of the sea1 and it has a circuit  
of about eighty-seven miles at its base4
  ,etna has been a volcano from time    
immemorial2 but of its more ancient     

eruptions only vague traditions have    
survived4 ,the ,greek poet ,pindar is   
the earliest writer who makes mention of
 its activity4 ,he refers to it in his  
first ,pythian ,ode1 ,strophe ,b1 #a4   
#a4 ,the passage is thus rendered by    
,carey--       ,from whose caverned     
depths aspire1       ,in purest folds   
upwreathing1 tost       ,fountains of   
approachless fire--       by day a flood
 of smouldering smoke       ,with sullen
 gleam the torrents pour  ,illustration3
  ,mount ,etna4  ,the ode in which this 
allusion occurs is said to have been    
written about ,b4,c4 #dgj2 and the      
eruption to which it refers probably    
took place shortly before that date4    
,virgil also describes the mountain very
 forcibly in the neid1 lib4 iii4 #egj4  
,dryden renders the passage thus3--     
,the port capacious1 and secure from    
wind1       ,is to the foot of          
thund'ring ,etna joined4       ,by turns
 a pitchy cloud she rolls on high3      
,by turns hot embers from her entrails  

fly1       ,and flakes of mounting      
flames1 that lick the sky4       ,oft   
from her bowels massy rocks are thrown1 
,and shivered by the force come         
piece-meal down4       ,oft liquid lakes
 of burning sulphur flow1       ,fed    
from the fiery springs that boil below4 
,since the one to which ,pindar alludes1
 there have been recorded about sixty   
eruptions2 but in the present century   
,etna has been less frequently active   
than ,vesuvius4  ,owing to the great    
height of ,mount ,etna1 the lava seldom 
rises so far as to flow from the summit4
 ,it more frequently bursts forth from  
the flanks of the mountain2 and in this 
manner there have been formed numerous  
smaller cones1 of which several have    
craters of their own4 ,hence ,etna is   
rather a group of volcanoes than a      
single cone2 but all these subordinate  
volcanic hills cluster round the flanks 
of the great central summit4 ,etna may  
thus be regarded as a fertile mother of 
mountains1 with all her children around 

her4 ,some of these hills1 her          
offspring1 are covered with forests and 
rich vegetation--such having enjoyed a  
lasting repose4 ,others are still arid  
and bare1 having been more recently     
formed4 ,owing to this peculiarity in   
its structure1 ,etna does not present   
that conical aspect which characterizes 
most other volcanoes4 ,strange as it may
 seem1 there are1 on the sides of the   
mountain1 caverns which the ,sicilians  
use for storing ice4 ,some of these     
caverns are of vast extent4 ,one called 
,fossa della ,palomba measures1 at its  
entrance1 #fbe feet in circumference1   
and has a depth of about #gh feet4 ,this
 great cavity1 however1 forms merely the
 vestibule to a series of others1 which 
are perfectly dark4  ,another striking  
feature of ,mount ,etna is the ,val del 
,bove4 ,it is a deep valley1 presenting1
 when viewed from above1 somewhat of the
 appearance of an amphitheatre1 ,it     
stretches from near the summit down to  
the upper limit of the wooded region of 

the mountain1 and has a remarkably      
desolate aspect--presenting a vast      
expanse of bare and rugged lava4  ,of   
the numerous eruptions of ,etna1 one of 
the most memorable was that of #affi1   
when on the flank of the mountain above 
,nicolosi1 about half way between       
,catania and the top of the great       
crater1 there was formed an immense rent
 about twelve miles long1 from which a  
vast torrent of lava descended4 ,after  
flowing for several miles1 and          
destroying a part of ,catania in its    
course1 it entered the sea1 and formed a
 small promontory1 which has since      
proved very useful as a breakwater4 ,but
 besides this stream1 there were at the 
same time thrown up such immense        
quantities of ashes1 cinders1 stones1   
and other matters1 that they formed two 
conical hills1 more than three hundred  
feet in height above the slope of the   
mountain from which they rose1 and      
measuring nearly two miles in           
circumference at their base4 ,these     

hills were named ,monti ,rossi4  ,mount 
,etna was in activity as lately as      
#ahfe2 but a previous eruption in #aheb 
was of greater violence4 ,it began1 as  
usual1 with hollow underground          
rumblings1 and the ascent of dense      
columns of vapour1 mingled with dust and
 ashes1 high into the air4 ,these were  
speedily whirled into enormous eddies by
 fierce whirlwinds4 ,two new mouths were
 formed on the side of the mountain1 and
 these vomited forth immense streams of 
lava1 which rushed with the vehemence of
 a torrent down the steep4 ,the violence
 of the commotion increasing1 the two   
mouths were1 by the crumbling of the    
intervening rocks1 blended into one1 and
 then huge fragments of the broken rock 
were hurled to a great height1 along    
with vast quantities of hot stones1     
cinders1 and black sand4 ,increasing    
quantities of lava were now poured from 
the greatly enlarged opening1 and these 
formed on the plains below a great river
 of liquid fire1 nearly two miles in    

breadth1 and between seven and eight    
feet in depth1 which advanced at the    
rate of upwards of a hundred feet in an 
hour1 carrying before it devastation and
 ruin4 ,its course being through a      
highly cultivated country1 the damage it
 inflicted was immense4 ,this eruption  
continued for several months1 with only 
short intervals of rest4  ,illustration3
  ,crater of ,etna4  ,it has more than  
once happened1 that the lava-streams of 
,etna1 in their descent from the crater 
of eruption1 have come to a precipitous 
wall of rock1 over which they have      
plunged in a cascade similar to that    
formed by the lava of ,vesuvius in      
#ahee1 but on a less magnificent scale1 
as respects the height of the fall4 ,one
 of these occasions was during the      
eruption of #agga1 and another during   
that of #ahai4  ,the principal cone of  
,mount ,etna was ascended in #ahcd by   
,messrs4 ,elie de ,beaumont and ,leopold
 von ,buch4 ,the former describes what  
they saw in the following terms3--,it   

was to us a moment of surprise difficult
 to describe1 when we found ourselves   
unexpectedly on the margin--not1 indeed1
 of the great crater--but of an almost  
circular gulf1 nearly three hundred feet
 in diameter1 which does not touch the  
great crater save at a small part of its
 circumference4 ,we peered eagerly into 
this nearly cylindrical funnel2 but vain
 was our search into the secret of its  
volcanic action4 ,from the almost       
horizontal tops of the nearly vertical  
steeps1 nothing can be descried but the 
upper cone4 ,on trying to reckon those  
one below another1 vision becomes       
gradually lost in the perfect darkness  
beneath4 ,no sound issues from this     
darkness4 ,there are only exhaled       
slightly sulphurous white vapours1      
chiefly steam4 ,the dismal aspect of    
this black and silent gulf1 in which our
 view was lost--its dark moist sides1   
along which crept1 in a languid and     
monotonous manner1 long flakes of vapour
 of a sombre gray--the great crater to  

which this narrow gulf is attached1 with
 its confused heap of diverse           
substances1 coloured yellow1 gray1 red1 
like the image of chaos--all presented  
around us an aspect quite funereal and  
sepulchral4  ,the ,french geologist1 in 
having escaped from his visit to the    
crater with nothing worse than a fit of 
the vapours1 came off better than       
,empedocles1 the ,sicilian philosopher1 
in the days of old3 for1 as the story   
goes1 this inquisitive sage1 being very 
anxious to have a peep into the crater1 
and venturing too near1 toppled in      
altogether1 and nothing more was seen of
 him1 except one of his sandals1 which  
was vomited up by the volcano--thus     
conveying to his friends an intimation  
of the manner of his death4  ,some      
incredulous persons allege that this    
story has no better foundation than the 
fable of the poets1 that the giant      
,enceladus1 son of ,titan and ,terra1   
having offended ,jupiter1 the infuriated
 god first felled him with a            

thunderbolt1 and then put ,mount ,etna  
as a sort of extinguisher on the top of 
him--his restlessness underneath fully  
accounting for all the commotions of the
 mountain4  ,soon after the eruption    
which took place towards the end of     
,january #ahfe1 the craters then opened 
were visited by ,m4 ,fouqu1 a ,french   
geologist4 ,at the time of his visit1   
#ajth ,march1 they were seven in number1
 and he thus describes their modes of   
action3--  ,the three upper craters     
produced two or three times a minute1   
powerful detonations like thunderclaps4 
,the lower craters1 on the contrary1    
incessantly gave forth a succession of  
reports too rapid to be reckoned4 ,these
 sounds1 although unremitting1 were     
clear and distinct1 the one from the    
other4 ,i can find no better comparison 
for them than the strokes of a hammer   
falling on an anvil4 ,had the ancients  
heard a similar noise1 ,i can readily   
conceive whence arose the idea of their 
imagining a forge in the centre of      

,etna1 with the ,cyclops for workmen4   
,off the eastern coast of ,sicily1 and  
not far from ,mount ,etna1 lie the      
,cyclopean ,isles1 of one of which the  
annexed woodcut gives a representation4 
,you will observe what a singular       
appearance it presents1 with its rows of
 basaltic columns piled one above       
another4 ,the other isle is close by1   
and there is an ancient tradition that  
they at one time formed part of the     
mainland of ,sicily4 ,homer has a       
curious story about the manner in which 
they became detached4 ,the passage      
occurs towards the end of the ninth book
 of the ,odyssey4 ,he tells that1 at the
 time ,ulysses visited ,sicily1 it was  
inhabited by the ,cyclops1 who1 as      
already mentioned1 were said to have had
 each only one eye1 situated in his     
forehead4 ,their king's name was        
,polyphemus1 a huge giant who beguiled  
,ulysses and a portion of his crew into 
a cave1 where he killed some of the crew
 and devoured them for his supper4      

,ulysses1 fearing his turn might come   
next1 persuaded ,polyphemus to taste    
some strong wine he had with him1 and   
filled him so tipsy that he fell fast   
asleep4 ,while he was in this state1    
,ulysses burnt out his one eye with a   
red-hot iron4 ,the giant awoke in agony1
 but ,ulysses contrived to escape from  
his clutches1 and1 after getting into   
his ship1 began taunting and jeering the
 monster4 ,thereupon ,homer says3--     
,illustration3  ,cyclopean ,isle        
,these words the ,cyclops' burning rage 
provoke3       ,from the tall hill he   
rends a pointed rock2       ,high o'er  
the billows flew the massy load1        
,and near the ship came thund'ring on   
the flood4       ,it almost brushed the 
helm1 and fell before3       ,the whole 
sea shook1 and refluent beat the shore4 
,pope's translation4  ,the huge missile 
having thus missed its mark1 ,ulysses1  
with great impudence1 renewed his jeers1
 taunting the giant1 and telling him who
 it was that had poked out his eye2     

whereupon ,polyphemus invokes the       
vengeance of ,neptune upon him1 and--   
,a larger rock then heaving from the    
plain1       ,he whirled it round--it   
rung across the main3       ,it fell and
 brushed the stern3 the billows roar1   
,shake at the weight1 and refluent beat 
the shore4                              
,pope's translation4  ,the rocks of     
which the ,cyclopean ,isles are composed
 are entirely of volcanic origin1 and it
 is far from improbable that they may   
have at one time been attached to       
,sicily1 and severed from it by some    
great volcanic convulsion4 ,a careful   
examination of these large piles of     
basaltic columns led ,dr4 ,daubeny to   
the conclusion1 that the lavas from     
which they have been formed were        
consolidated under great pressure1 and  
probably at the bottom of the sea1      
whence they have been afterwards        
upheaved4 ,he also concludes1 from      
certain appearances1 that the two       
islands were at one time united4  ,the  

,cyclopean ,isles strongly resemble1 in 
their general aspect1 the well-known    
,giant's ,causeway on the northern coast
 of ,ireland1 and the ,isle of ,staffa  
off the western coast of ,scotland4 ,the
 latter1 which1 around its whole        
sea-girt outline1 presents ranges of    
basaltic columns1 some of them disposed 
in curious fantastic groups1 most nearly
 resembles the ,sicilian pair4 ,these   
differ from it chiefly in their having  
the columns piled in terraces1 one above
 another4 ,staffa1 however1 can boast of
 a far more striking feature --the      
celebrated ,cave of ,fingal--its stately
 basaltic columns inspiring every       
beholder with admiration1 not unmixed   
with awe1 while its brightly-tinted     
floor rivals in brilliancy of colouring 
the most beautiful mosaics4  ,in the    
,island of ,iceland1 also1 there are    
some remarkable ranges of basaltic      
columns4 ,one in particular1 named the  
,ruins of ,dverghamrar1 is in the form  
of a semicircle skirting the sea-coast4 

,another group1 still more wonderful1   
forms a curious natural ,gothic arch1   
surmounted by pinnacles4 ,it is so      
picturesque that an architect might     
study it with advantage1 and derive from
 it valuable hints in designing the     
entrance to a cathedral4     ,,chapter  
,v4  ,lipan                             
,islands--,stromboli--,origin of        
,name--,position of                     
,crater--,description of ,crater--,new  
,volcanic ,island named                 
,julia--,phenomena preceding its        
,elevation--,description of ,island and 
,crater--,its ,disappearance--,rise of  
,islands at ,santorin   ,the ,lipari    
,islands are all of volcanic origin4    
,the most interesting among them1 for   
the length of time it has been in action
 and the constancy of its activity1 is  
,stromboli4 ,this name is a corruption  
of the ancient ,greek name  which was   
given to it because of its round        
swelling form4 ,this is a very fussy    
little volcano1 for it keeps perpetually

 puffing1 growling1 and fuming4 ,it     
throws out columns of steam1 and at     
intervals stones1 cinders1 and ashes1   
which are for the most part drifted by  
the wind into the sea4 ,this restless   
volcano has been in almost uninterrupted
 activity since at least the third      
century before the ,christian era       
--however much further back4  ,several  
enterprising travellers have ascended to
 the crater of ,stromboli4 ,it was      
examined with great care in #ahbh by ,m4
 ,hoffmann1 a celebrated ,prussian      
geologist1 who1 while being held fast by
 his companions1 leant over the crag    
immediately above the crater1 and looked
 right down into one of its active      
mouths4 ,he thus describes what he      
saw3--  ,three active mouths were seen  
at the bottom of the crater4 ,the       
principal one1 in the middle1 was about 
two hundred feet in diameter2 it shows  
nothing remarkable1 only fuming         
slightly2 and numerous yellow           
incrustations of sulphur coat the walls 

of its chimney4 ,close by this mouth is 
another1 somewhat nearer the precipice1 
only twenty feet wide1 in which ,i could
 observe the play of the column of      
liquid lava1 which at intervals poised  
itself at a level4 ,this lava did not   
look like a burning mass vomiting       
flames1 but as glossy as molten         
metal--like iron issuing from the       
smelting furnace1 or silver at the      
bottom of a crucible4  ,this melted mass
 rose and fell--evidently urged by the  
powerful tension of elastic vapours     
pressing it upwards from beneath2 and it
 was easy to perceive the balance of    
effect between the weight of the molten 
masses and the pressure of the steam    
which resisted them4 ,the surface rose  
and fell rhythmically3 there was heard a
 peculiar sound1 like the crackling of  
air from bellows entering the door of a 
furnace4 ,a bubble of white vapour      
issued at each crack1 raising the lava1 
which fell down again immediately after 
its escape4 ,these bubbles of vapour    

dragged to the surface of the lava      
red-hot cinders1 which danced as if     
tossed by invisible hands in rhythmic   
sport above the brink of the opening4   
,this play1 so regular and attractive1  
was interrupted1 every quarter of an    
hour or so1 by more tumultuous          
movements4 ,the mass of whirling vapour 
then rested motionless for a            
moment--even making a jerking motion of 
return1 as if inhaled by the crater1    
from the bottom of which the lava rose  
more strongly as if to encounter it4    
,then the ground trembles1 and the walls
 of the crater starting bend4 ,it was   
quite an earthquake4 ,the mouth of the  
crater uttered a loud rolling bellow1   
which was followed by an immense bubble 
of vapour1 bursting at the surface of   
the lava with a loud thundering report4 
,the whole surface of the lava1 reduced 
to glowing splinters1 was then tossed   
into the air4  ,illustration3  ,julia1  
or ,graham's ,island1 in ,august #ahca4 
,the heat struck our faces forcibly2    

while a flaming sheaf rose right into   
the air1 and fell back in a shower of   
fire all around4 ,some bombs ascended to
 a height of about #abjj feet1 and in   
passing over our heads described        
parabolas of fire4 ,immediately after   
such an eruption1 the lava withdrew to  
the bottom of the chimney1 which then   
yawned black and gaping4 ,but erelong   
there was seen re-ascending the shining 
mirror of the surface of lava1 which    
then recommenced the rhythmic play of   
its ordinary less violent bubblings4    
,what an agreeable visit this must have 
been6 ,don't you think1 between         
ourselves1 that the ,german philosopher 
must1 on this occasion1 have greatly    
resembled an ,irishman in love1 seeing  
he was so eager to reach the mouth of   
the crater8  ,before passing on to the  
description of other existing volcanoes1
 it may entertain you to hear something 
about ,julia4 ,this interesting crater  
had a short and troubled existence4 ,she
 was not born like others of her name1  

but rose suddenly and majestically out  
of the sea1 as the poets feign that     
,venus did of old4 ,she did not1        
however1 keep her head long above water1
 but after raging and fuming for about a
 couple of months1 she plunged again    
under the waves4 ,this happened in the  
year #ahca4  ,on page #eg is a picture  
showing you how she looked in ,august of
 that year1 about a month after she made
 her appearance4 ,you see what a fury of
 a crater she must have been4 ,it was a 
,french philosopher 7,constant ,prvost7 
who christened her ,julia2 but it is    
hard to divine what prompted him to act 
so ungallantly4 ,perhaps1 at the moment1
 he may have had in his eye some ,julia 
of his acquaintance1 with very red hair 
and a very fiery temper4  ,this volcanic
 island rose out of the ,mediterranean1 
about midway between the ,island of     
,pantellaria and the village of ,sciacca
 on the southern coast of ,sicily4 ,from
 about the #bhth of ,june to the #bnd of
 ,july #ahca1 the inhabitants of        

,sciacca felt several slight shocks1    
which they imagined to have proceeded   
from ,etna4 ,on the #hth of ,july the   
crew of a ,sicilian ship1 which was     
sailing at a distance of about six miles
 from ,sciacca1 suddenly observed in the
 sea a jet of water about #ajj feet     
high4 ,it rose into the air with a      
thundering noise1 sustained itself for  
about ten minutes1 and then fell down4  
,similar jets continued to rise in      
succession1 at intervals of about a     
quarter of an hour1 and produced a thick
 mist overspreading the surface of the  
sea1 which was much agitated and covered
 with a reddish scum4 ,shoals of dead   
fishes were drifted on the waves4 ,on   
the third day the jets were between #hjj
 and #ijj feet in diameter1 and between 
#fj and #gj feet in height1 while the   
steam from them rose to nearly #ahjj    
feet4  ,on the #abth of ,july the       
inhabitants of ,sciacca had their       
nostrils assailed by a strong smell of  
sulphur1 and beheld the surface of the  

sea covered with black porous cinders1  
which1 being drifted ashore1 formed a   
bed of some thickness on the beach4 ,so 
great was the drift of volcanic ashes1  
that boats could hardly struggle through
 the water1 and multitudes of dead      
fishes floated on its surface4 ,next    
morning they saw rising out of the sea a
 column of dark vapour1 which1 however1 
towards night became lurid red4 ,from   
time to time1 during both the day and   
night1 they heard loud reports1 and saw 
bright sparks of fire through the dusky 
vapour4  ,illustration3  ,julia1 or     
,graham's ,island1 on #bith ,september  
#ahca4  ,on the #ahth of ,july the      
captain of the ,sicilian ship discovered
 that an island had arisen out of the   
sea at the spot whence the appearances  
before described had proceeded4 ,it had 
already attained a height of nearly     
twelve feet1 and had in its centre a    
crater1 which vomited forth immense jets
 of steam1 along with ashes1 cinders1   
stones1 c4 ,the water which boiled in   

this crater was reddish1 and the        
cinders1 which covered the sea all round
 the island1 were of a chocolate colour4
 ,the island subsequently attained a    
height of upwards of #ij feet at its    
highest point1 and a circumference of   
about three-quarters of a mile4 ,a      
channel of communication was also opened
 between the sea and the interior of the
 crater1 which had a diameter of about  
#fej feet4 ,the vapours and other       
matters thrown up from the mouth of the 
volcano formed a luminous column upwards
 of #bjj feet in height4  ,on the #bith 
of ,september it was visited by the     
,french gentleman who gave it the name  
of ,julia1 and it then presented the    
appearance which we have sketched4 ,he  
landed with a party and proceeded to    
examine the crater1 in which he found a 
circular basin filled with reddish      
water1 almost boiling hot1 and fresh4   
,this basin was nearly #bjj feet in     
diameter4 ,there rose from the water    
bubbles of gas1 which made it appear as 

if it were boiling4 ,the water was not  
quite at the boiling point1 however1 yet
 the bubbles of gas were sufficiently   
hot to burn the fingers4  ,illustration3
  ,crater of ,julia1 or ,graham's       
,island4  ,these bubbles rose from a    
great depth1 and each1 on bursting1     
which it did with a feeble report1 threw
 out sand and cinders4 ,at a short      
distance from the crater there rose     
sulphurous vapours1 which deposited     
sulphur and salt4 ,the loose dust and   
ashes forming the soil of the island    
were hot1 and walking on them was       
difficult4 ,the foregoing woodcut will  
give you an idea of the appearance which
 the crater presented to those visitors4
  ,in the following month of ,october   
nothing remained of this wonderful      
island but a hillock of sand and        
cinders2 and at the end of six months it
 had quite vanished4 ,soundings taken a 
few years ago show ten feet of water    
over the spot1 so that1 although the    
island has disappeared1 there is still a

 shoal left behind4 ,this temporary     
volcano is best known in ,england under 
the name of ,graham's ,island2 so called
 after an ,english naval officer of that
 name1 who was the first to set foot on 
it1 and who planted upon it the ,english
 flag1 so claiming it for his sovereign4
 ,the ,sicilians allege this to be the  
reason why it disappeared so soon--that 
it was in a hurry to escape from under  
the ,english yoke4  ,similar phenomena  
have been taking place during the past  
year1 #ahff1 in the ,bay of ,santorin1  
situated in the island of that name1    
which lies to the northward of ,crete4  
,there are several islands in the bay1  
all apparently of volcanic origin1 and  
one of them was thrown up about three   
centuries before the beginning of the   
,christian era4 ,last year their number 
was increased by a series of eruptions  
similar in their attendant circumstances
 to those which accompanied the upheaval
 of ,julia4 ,the first warnings were    
given on the #cjth of ,january #ahff1 by

 low underground rumblings1 and slight  
movements of the ground at the south end
 of ,new ,kammeni1 one of the formerly  
upheaved islands in the bay4 ,next day  
these phenomena increased in violence1  
and quantities of gas bubbled up from   
the sea4 ,on the #ast of ,february1     
reddish flames ascended from the water1 
and on the #bnd there rose1 out of the  
harbour of ,voulcano1 an island1 which  
was christened ,george4 ,the volcanic   
agitation was prolonged during ,february
 and ,march--the upheaval of other two  
islands being the result4 ,whether these
 additional islands will continue       
permanently above water remains to be   
seen4     ,,chapter ,,vi4  ,peak of     
,teneriffe--,its ,crater--,eruption of  
,chahorra--,palma--,great               
,caldera--,lancerote--,great            
,eruption--,sudden ,death--,fuego1 ,cape
 de ,verde ,islands--,cotopaxi--,its    
,appearance--,great ,eruptive           
,force--,tunguragua--,great ,eruption of
 ,mud and ,water--,fish thrown          

out--,quito--,its                       
,overthrow--,pichinca--,humboldt's      
,ascent--,narrow                        
,escape--,antisana--,sangay--,rancagua--
,chillan--,masaya   ,the ,island of     
,teneriffe is celebrated for its        
magnificent snow-clad peak4 ,on         
referring to the woodcut of this volcano
 at page #aa1 you will observe in what a
 sharp point the cone terminates1 and   
how slender is the column of vapour at  
its summit4 ,the crater at the top is   
comparatively small--its greatest       
diameter being #cjj1 and its smallest   
#bjj feet1 while its depth is only about
 #ajj feet4 ,from this crater there has 
been no eruption since #agjf1 when the  
finest harbour in the island was        
destroyed4 ,but from the side of the    
peak there rises a supplementary        
mountain named ,chahorra1 on the top of 
which there is also a crater1 whence    
there was an eruption in #agih4 ,so     
great was its violence1 that masses of  
rock were thrown to a height of upwards 

of #cjjj feet4 ,in the neighbouring     
island of ,palma there is a volcanic    
crater named the ,great ,caldera1 whose 
depth is said to be upwards of #ejjj    
feet4  ,almost due east of ,palma1 and  
much nearer the ,african coast1 lies the
 ,island of ,lancerote1 on which are a  
great many volcanic cones1 arranged     
nearly in a straight line4 ,these were  
for the most part formed by a long      
series of eruptions which took place    
during the years from #agcj to #agcf4   
,such immense quantities of lava were   
poured forth in the course of those six 
years1 that about a third of the surface
 of the island was covered by them1 and 
many towns and villages were destroyed4 
,st4 ,catalina1 a populous and thriving 
town1 was first overflowed by a         
lava-stream1 and then a new crater burst
 forth on its very site1 raising over it
 a hill #djj feet high4 ,all the cattle 
in the island fell down dead in one day1
 and nearly about the same time--they   
were suffocated by deadly vapours that  

rose from the ground4 ,the volcanic     
activity of this island was renewed in  
,august #ahbd1 when there was formed1   
near the port of ,rescif1 a new crater1 
which vomited forth such quantities of  
stones1 ashes1 and other volcanic       
matters1 that in the short space of     
twenty-four hours they formed a hill of 
considerable height4  ,the ,cape de     
,verde ,islands1 lying to the           
south-westward of the ,canaries1 are    
also volcanic4 ,in #ahdg a volcano named
 ,fuego1 situated in one of them1 after 
remaining at rest about fifty years1    
burst into fresh activity4 ,no less than
 seven new vents were formed2 and from  
these were poured forth great streams of
 lava1 which wrought immense damage in  
the cultivated parts of the island4 ,the
 inhabitants sustained great loss by the
 destruction of their cattle and crops4 
,passing over to the ,south ,american   
continent1 we come to the range of the  
,andes1 which contains numerous         
volcanoes4 ,among these the most        

conspicuous is ,cotopaxi1 the highest   
volcano in the world1 situated in the   
territory of ,quito4 ,so perfect is the 
form of the cone1 that it looks as if it
 had been turned in a lathe4 ,its       
coating of snow gives it a dazzling     
appearance1 and so sharply is the       
snow-line defined that it seems almost  
as if the volcano-king wore a white     
night-cap instead of a crown4  ,the     
eruptions of this mountain are rare4    
,one of the greatest of them lasted for 
three years1 and desolated an immense   
extent of country with floods of lava4  
,on this occasion1 it is said1 columns  
of fire rose to the height of nearly    
#ejjj feet1 so great was the energy of  
the volcanic force4  ,a little to the   
southward of ,cotopaxi1 but concealed   
from it by the intervening mass of      
,chimborazo1 lies the volcano of        
,tunguragua1 from which there was an    
extraordinary eruption in the year      
#agig1 that proved very destructive to  
the cities in its neighbourhood4        

,indeed1 so terrible was the convulsion 
of the ground1 which lasted four        
minutes1 that the cities of ,riobamba   
and ,quero were reduced to heaps of     
ruins4 ,then the base of ,tunguragua was
 rent1 and from numerous apertures there
 were poured out streams of water and   
mud1 the latter gathering in the valleys
 to the depth of #fjj feet4 ,this mud   
spread itself far and wide1 blocking up 
the channels of rivers1 and forming     
lakes1 which remained upwards of two    
months4 ,but1 strangest of all1         
quantities of dead fishes were found in 
the water which burst from the volcano4 
,these fishes are supposed to have been 
bred in subterranean lakes contained in 
caverns in the interior of the mountain1
 considerably removed from the volcanic 
fires in the centre4 ,it is probable    
that1 when the rent was formed near the 
base1 one of those caverns was broken   
open1 and that the waters from it were  
discharged along with their finny       
inhabitants4  ,here is a picture of one 

of those fishes1 which was taken by     
,baron ,humboldt4 ,when you see what a  
queer-looking fish it is1 you will      
wonder the less at its having chosen so 
strange an abode4  ,illustration3       
,pimelodus ,cyclopum  ,quito1 the       
capital of the province of that name1 is
 the highest of cities--being situated  
at an elevation of between nine and ten 
thousand feet above the level of the    
sea4 ,it is built on a plain1 lying on  
the flanks of the volcano ,pichinca1 of 
which a view is given in the annexed    
woodcut4 ,poor ,quito has suffered      
severely from this dangerous            
neighbourhood2 for1 on the #bbnd of     
,march #ahei1 a violent shaking of the  
mountain laid the whole city in ruins4  
,pichinca1 you will observe1 has a most 
irregular outline1 but very graceful    
withal4 ,instead of a single cone like  
,cotopaxi1 it has a group of cones1 some
 of which are very pointed4 ,it has four
 principal summits1 of which the most   
southerly contains the active crater4   

,here the celebrated traveller ,baron   
,humboldt nearly lost his life4 ,having 
ascended the cone and approached the    
edge of the crater1 he peered into the  
depths of the dark abyss1 and there     
beheld the glowing lava boiling as if in
 a huge caldron4 ,a thick mist coming   
on1 he unwarily advanced to within a few
 feet of the rapid slope descending into
 the crater1 and was within an ace of   
toppling over into the fiery gulf       
beneath4 ,what a pity it would have been
 had he fallen in6 ,we should have had  
no ,personal ,narrative1 no ,cosmos4    
,illustration3  ,pichinca  ,there are in
 this region of ,south ,america other   
two great volcanoes1 named ,antisana and
 ,sangay4 ,the former has not been in   
action since #agah1 but is remarkable   
for the immense beds of lava which it   
has amassed around it during its former 
eruptions4 ,sangay1 again1 has ever     
since #agbh been in a state of almost   
perpetual activity--in this respect     
resembling ,stromboli1 which1 however1  

it far exceeds in height1 its summit    
being nearly #ah1jjj feet above the     
level of the sea4 ,the eruptions of this
 mountain are accompanied by loud       
explosions1 which are heard at great    
distances1 and they succeed each other  
with immense rapidity4 ,the fumes       
emitted are sometimes gray1 sometimes   
orange2 and the matters ejected are     
cinders1 dross1 and spherical masses of 
stone4 ,these last are often two feet in
 diameter1 and in strong explosions as  
many as sixty of them may be thrown out 
at a time4 ,they are glowing at a white 
heat1 and for the most part they fall   
back into the vent of the crater4       
,sometimes1 however1 they alight on the 
edge of the cone--imparting to it a     
temporary brilliancy2 but the mass of   
the cone1 being composed of loose black 
cinders1 has a most dismal aspect4      
,another very active ,south ,american   
volcano is ,rancagua in ,chili4 ,it is1 
however1 of moderate height1 and thus in
 its general character resembles        

,stromboli1 which it rivals in          
restlessness4 ,another of the volcanoes 
of ,chili1 named ,chillan1 which had    
long been in a state of repose1 renewed 
its activity in ,november #ahfd4 ,its   
usually snow-clad summit became covered 
in a short time with a thick layer of   
volcanic ashes1 which greatly altered   
its appearance4 ,streams of lava were   
also thrown out by the mountain on this 
occasion4  ,there are several volcanoes 
in ,central ,america4 ,one of them1     
named ,masaya1 was very active during   
the sixteenth century4 ,it is situated  
near the lake of ,nicaragua1 in the     
territory of that name4 ,it was visited 
in #aebi by the ,spanish historian      
,gonzales ,fernando de ,oviedo1 from    
whose description it seems to have      
presented phenomena resembling those    
seen in the crater of ,stromboli4 ,in   
its ordinary state1 he says1 the surface
 of the lava1 in the midst of which     
black scoriae are continually floating1 
remains several hundred feet below the  

edges of the water4 ,but sometimes there
 is suddenly produced an ebullition so  
violent1 that the lava rises almost to  
the very brim4     ,,chapter ,,vii4     
,jorullo--,great ,monument--,jorullo's  
,estate--,interruption to his           
,quiet--,his ,estate ,swells--,swallows 
,two ,rivers--,throws up                
,ovens--,becomes a ,burning             
,mountain--,popocatepetl--,spanish      
,ascents--,orizaba --,muller's          
,ascent--,morne-,garou--,pele---,la     
,soufriere   ,what a fortunate man was  
,mr4 ,jorullo6 ,old ,cheops1 king of    
,egypt1 spent vast sums of money1 many  
long years1 and the labour of myriads of
 his subjects1 in erecting the ,great   
,pyramid as a monument to his memory4   
,but ,mr4 ,jorullo1 without his having  
to lay down a single ,mexican dollar1   
and without any labour1 either of his   
own or of his servants1 had a           
magnificent monument raised to his      
memory in a single night4 ,jorullo's    
monument1 too1 is far bigger than the   

pyramid of ,cheops--being nearly four   
times the height1 and occupying a much  
larger extent of ground4 ,whether it    
will last as long as the pyramid has    
done1 time only can show4  ,you would   
doubtless like to know how this great   
monument was reared4 ,here is the       
story3--,don ,pedro di ,jorullo was a   
,mexican gentleman who lived about the  
middle of the last century4 ,he was a   
landed proprietor--the owner of a nice  
little farm of great fertility1 situated
 to the westward of the city of ,mexico1
 and about ninety miles from the coast  
of the ,pacific ,ocean4 ,the ground was 
well watered by artificial means1 and   
produced abundant crops of indigo and   
sugar-cane4 ,thus ,mr4 ,jorullo was a   
very thriving well-to-do sort of man4   
,illustration3  ,jorullo  ,this         
gentleman's prosperity continued without
 interruption till the month of ,june   
#agei1 when1 to the great alarm of his  
servants dwelling on the estate1 strange
 underground rumblings were heard1      

accompanied by frequent shakings of the 
ground4 ,these continued for nearly two 
months2 but at the end of that time all 
became quiet again1 and ,mr4 ,jorullo's 
servants slept in fancied security4 ,on 
the night of the #bhth of ,september1   
however1 their slumbers were suddenly   
broken by a return of the horrible      
underground rumblings--thundering more  
loudly than before4 ,the next night1    
these subterranean thunders became so   
loud1 that the ,indian servants started 
from their beds1 and fled in terror to  
the mountains in the neighbourhood4     
,gazing thence1 after day had dawned1   
they beheld to their astonishment that a
 tract of ground from three to four     
square miles in extent1 with their      
master's farm in the middle of it1 had  
been upheaved in the shape of an        
inflated bladder4 ,at the edges this    
singular elevation rises only about     
thirty-nine feet above the old level of 
the plain2 but so great is the general  
convexity of the mound1 that towards the

 centre it swells up to five hundred and
 twenty-four feet above the original    
level4  ,the ,indians affirmed that they
 saw flames issue from the ground       
throughout an extent of more than half a
 square league1 while fragments of      
burning rocks were thrown to enormous   
heights4 ,thick clouds of ashes rose    
into the air1 illuminated by glowing    
fires beneath2 and the surface of the   
ground seemed to swell into billows1    
like those of a tempestuous sea4 ,into  
the vast burning chasms1 whence these   
ejections were thrown1 two rivers       
plunged in cataracts2 but the water only
 increased the violence of the eruption4
 ,it was thrown into steam with         
explosive force1 and great quantities of
 mud and balls of basalt were ejected4  
,on the surface of the swollen mound    
there were formed thousands of small    
cones1 from six to ten feet in height1  
and sending forth steam to heights      
varying from twenty to thirty feet4     
,out of a chasm in the midst of these   

cones1 or ovens1 as the natives call    
them1 there rose six large masses1 the  
highest of which is sixteen hundred feet
 in height1 and constitutes the volcano 
of ,jorullo4 ,the eruptions of this     
central volcano continued till ,february
 #agfj with extreme violence--the crater
 throwing out large quantities of lava2 
but in the succeeding years it became   
less turbulent in its activity4 ,it     
still1 however1 continues to burn2 and  
the mountain emits from the wide crater 
at its summit several jets of vapour4   
,the foregoing woodcut gives a view of  
this volcano1 and of the little steaming
 ovens which stud the whole ground      
around it1 giving it at a distance the  
appearance of the sea in a storm4 ,and  
now confess that ,mr4 ,jorullo's        
monument is far grander than the pyramid
 of ,cheops4 ,surely the loss of his    
farm was amply compensated to him1 by   
the perpetuation of his memory and his  
name1 through the rearing of such a     
marvellous cenotaph4  ,for a long time  

after the first eruption1 the ground for
 a great distance round the volcano was 
too hot to be habitable or capable of   
cultivation4 ,it is now1 however1 so    
much cooled down1 that it is once more  
covered with vegetation2 and even some  
small portions of the raised ground     
containing the ovens have been again    
brought under culture4  ,besides this   
volcano1 so recent in its origin1       
,mexico contains other five--,orizaba1  
,toluca1 ,tuxtla1 ,popocatepetl1 and    
,colima4 ,what is rather remarkable1    
these five1 together with ,jorullo1 all 
lie nearly in a straight line running   
east and west4 ,the tracts of country   
which these volcanoes have desolated    
with their lavas are called by the      
,mexicans the ,malpays4  ,the most      
remarkable of these mountains is        
,popocatepetl4 ,although it has long    
remained in comparative quiet1 it was   
very active at the time of the ,spanish 
invasion under ,corts4 ,of the first    
approach of the ,spaniards to this      

volcano1 and of the attempts made by    
some of them to climb to the top1 ,mr4  
,prescott1 in his history of the        
conquest of ,mexico1 gives the following
 graphic account3--  ,they were passing 
between two of the highest mountains on 
the ,north ,american continent1         
,popocatepetl1 'the hill that smokes'   
and ,iztaccihuatl1 or 'white woman2' a  
name suggested1 doubtless1 by the bright
 robe of snow spread over its broad and 
broken surface4 ,a puerile superstition 
of the ,indians regarded these          
celebrated mountains as gods1 and       
,iztaccihuatl as the wife of her more   
formidable neighbour4 ,a tradition of a 
higher character described the northern 
volcano as the abode of the departed    
spirits of wicked rulers1 whose fiery   
agonies in their prison-house caused the
 fearful bellowings and convulsions in  
times of eruption4 ,it was the classic  
fable of antiquity4 ,these superstitious
 legends had invested the mountain with 
a mysterious horror1 that made the      

natives shrink from attempting its      
ascent1 which1 indeed1 was1 from natural
 causes1 a work of incredible           
difficulty4  ,the great volcan1 as      
,popocatepetl was called1 rose to the   
enormous height of #ag1heb feet above   
the level of the sea2 more than #bjjj   
feet above the 'monarch of              
mountains'--the highest elevation in    
,europe4 ,during the present century it 
has rarely given evidence of its        
volcanic origin1 and 'the hill that     
smokes' has almost forfeited its claim  
to the appellation4 ,but at the time of 
the conquest it was frequently in a     
state of activity1 and raged with       
uncommon fury while the ,spaniards were 
at ,tlascala2 an evil omen1 it was      
thought1 for the natives of ,anahuac4   
,its head1 gathered into a regular cone 
by the deposit of successive eruptions1 
wore the usual form of volcanic         
mountains1 when not disturbed by the    
falling in of the crater4 ,soaring      
towards the skies1 with its silver sheet

 of everlasting snow1 it was seen far   
and wide over the broad plains of       
,mexico and ,puebla2 the first object   
which the morning sun greeted in his    
rising1 the last where his evening rays 
were seen to linger1 shedding a glorious
 effulgence over its head1 that         
contrasted strikingly with the ruinous  
waste of sand and lava immediately      
below1 and the deep fringe of funereal  
pines that shrouded its base4  ,the     
mysterious terrors which hung over the  
spot4 and the wild love of adventure1   
made some of the ,spanish cavaliers     
desirous to attempt the ascent1 which   
the natives declared no man could       
accomplish and live4 ,corts encouraged  
them in the enterprise1 willing to show 
the ,indians that no achievement was    
above the dauntless daring of his       
followers4 ,one of his captains1        
accordingly1 ,diego ,ordaz1 with nine   
,spaniards1 and several ,tlascalans1    
encouraged by their example1 undertook  
the ascent4 ,it was attended with more  

difficulty than had been anticipated4   
,the lower region was clothed with a    
dense forest1 so thickly matted1 that in
 some places it was scarcely possible to
 penetrate it4 ,it grew thinner1        
however1 as they advanced1 dwindling by 
degrees into a straggling stunted       
vegetation1 till1 at the height of      
somewhat more than #ac1jjj feet1 it     
faded away altogether4 ,the ,indians1   
who had held on thus far2 intimidated by
 the strange subterraneous sounds of the
 volcano1 even then in a state of       
combustion1 now left them4 ,the track   
opened on a black surface of glazed     
volcanic sand and of lava1 the broken   
fragments of which1 arrested in its     
boiling progress in a thousand fantastic
 forms1 opposed continual impediments to
 their advance4 ,amidst these1 one huge 
rock1 the ,pico del ,fraile1 a          
conspicuous object from below1 rose to  
the perpendicular height of #aej feet1  
compelling them to take a wide circuit4 
,they soon came to the limits of        

perpetual snow1 where new difficulties  
presented themselves1 as the treacherous
 ice gave an imperfect footing1 and a   
false step might precipitate them into  
the frozen chasms that yawned around4   
,to increase their distress1 respiration
 in these aerial regions became so      
difficult1 that every effort was        
attended with sharp pains in the head   
and limbs4 ,still they pressed on1 till1
 drawing nearer the crater1 such volumes
 of smoke1 sparks1 and cinders were     
belched forth from its burning entrails1
 and driven down the sides of the       
mountain1 as nearly suffocated and      
blinded them4 ,it was too much even for 
their hardy frames to endure1 and1      
however reluctantly1 they were compelled
 to abandon the attempt on the eve of   
its completion4 ,they brought back some 
huge icicles--a curious sight in those  
tropical regions--as a trophy of their  
achievement1 which1 however imperfect1  
was sufficient to strike the minds of   
the natives with wonder1 by showing that

 with the ,spaniards the most appalling 
and mysterious perils were only as      
pastimes4 ,the undertaking was eminently
 characteristic of the bold spirit of   
the cavalier of that day1 who1 not      
content with the dangers that lay in his
 path1 seemed to court them from the    
mere ,quixotic love of adventure4 ,a    
report of the affair was transmitted to 
the ,emperor ,charles ,v42 and the      
family of ,ordaz was allowed to         
commemorate the exploit by assuming a   
burning mountain on their escutcheon4   
,the general was not satisfied with the 
result4 ,two years after he sent up     
another party1 under ,francisco         
,montano1 a cavalier of determined      
resolution4 ,the object was to obtain   
sulphur to assist in making gunpowder   
for the army4 ,the mountain was quiet at
 the time1 and the expedition was       
attended with better success4 ,the      
,spaniards1 five in-number1 climbed to  
the very edge of the crater1 which      
presented an irregular ellipse at its   

mouth1 more than a league in            
circumference4 ,its depth might be from 
#hjj to #ajjj feet4 ,a lurid flame      
burned gloomily at the bottom1 sending  
up a sulphureous steam1 which1 cooling  
as it rose1 was precipitated on the     
sides of the cavity4 ,the party cast    
lots1 and it fell on ,montano himself to
 descend in a basket into this hideous  
abyss1 into which he was lowered by his 
companions to the depth of #djj feet6   
,this was repeated several times1 till  
the adventurous cavalier had collected a
 sufficient quantity of sulphur for the 
wants of the army4  ,the more tranquil  
state of the volcano in modern times    
having rendered the summit no longer so 
difficult of access as it was in those  
days1 the ascent has been several times 
achieved--twice in #ahbg1 and again in  
#ahcc and #ahcd4 ,the crater is now a   
large oval basin with precipitous walls1
 composed of beds of lava1 of which some
 are black1 others of a pale rose tint4 
,at the bottom of the crater1 which is  

nearly flat1 are several conical vents1 
whence are continually issuing vapours  
of variable colour1 red1 yellow1 or     
white4 ,the beds of sulphur deposited in
 this crater are worked for economical  
purposes4 ,two snowy peaks tower above  
its walls4  ,not less magnificent in its
 proportions is the volcano of ,orizaba1
 which is nearly of the same height as  
,popocatepetl4 ,it was very active about
 the middle of the sixteenth century1   
having had several great eruptions      
between #aede and #aefj2 but since then 
it has sunk into comparative repose4    
,this mountain was ascended by ,baron   
,muller in #ahef4 ,a first attempt      
proved unsuccessful2 but by passing a   
night in a grotto near the limit of     
perpetual snow1 he was able on the      
following day1 after a toilsome ascent1 
to reach the edge of the crater--not1   
however1 till near sunset4 ,his         
experiences1 and the scene which was    
presented to his wondering gaze1 he     
describes in the following terms3--  ,i 

have achieved my purpose1 and joy       
banishes all my griefs1 but only for a  
moment2 suddenly ,i fell to the ground1 
and a stream of blood gushed from my    
mouth4  ,on recovering1 ,i found myself 
still close to the crater1 and ,i then  
summoned all my strength to gaze and    
observe as much as possible4 ,my pen    
cannot describe either the aspect of    
those regions1 or the impressions they  
produced on me4 ,here seemed to be the  
gate of the nether world1 enclosing     
darkness and horror4 ,what terrible     
power must have been required to raise  
and shiver such enormous masses1 to melt
 them and pile them up like towers1 at  
the very moment of their cooling and    
acquiring their actual forms6  ,a yellow
 crust of sulphur coats in several      
places the internal walls1 and from the 
bottom rise several volcanic cones4 ,the
 soil of the crater1 so far as ,i could 
see1 was covered with snow1 consequently
 not at all warm4 ,the ,indians however 
affirmed that1 at several points1 a hot 

air issues from crevices in the rocks4  
,although ,i could not verify their     
statement1 it seemed to me probable2 for
 ,i have often observed similar         
phenomena in ,popocatepetl4  ,my        
original intention of passing the night 
on the crater had for overpowering      
reasons become impracticable4 ,the      
twilight which1 in this latitude1 as    
every one knows1 is extremely short1    
having already begun1 it was necessary  
to prepare for our return4 ,the two     
,indians rolled together the straw mats 
which they had brought1 and bent them in
 front so as to form a sort of sledge4  
,we sat down upon these1 and stretching 
out our legs1 allowed ourselves to glide
 down on this vehicle4 ,the rapidity    
with which we were precipitated         
increased to such a degree1 that our    
descent was rather like being shot      
through the air1 than any other mode of 
locomotion4 ,in a few minutes we dashed 
over a space which it had taken us five 
hours to climb4  ,there are several of  

the ,west ,indian islands of volcanic   
origin2 and three of them--,st4         
,vincent1 ,martinique1 and              
,guadaloupe--contain active volcanoes4  
,the most remarkable is the volcano of  
,morne-,garou1 in ,st4 ,vincent1 the    
eruptions from which have been          
particularly violent4 ,in #ahab the     
ashes which it threw out were so great  
in quantity1 and projected to so vast a 
height1 that they were carried to a     
distance of two hundred miles in the    
teeth of the trade-wind4 ,from ,mount   
,pele1 in ,martinique1 there was an     
eruption in ,august #ahea4 ,la          
,soufriere1 the volcano in ,guadaloupe1 
is said to have been cleft in twain     
during an earthquake4 ,its activity has 
long been in a subdued state2 but it is 
remarkable for its deposits of sulphur4 
,,chapter ,,viii4  ,hawaii1 ,sandwich   
,islands--,crater of ,kilauea--,its     
awful ,aspect--,fiery ,lake and         
,islands--,jets of ,lava--,depth of     
,crater and ,surface of ,lake--,bank of 

,sulphur--,curious                      
,rainbow--,mouna-,kaah and              
,mouna-,loa--,eruption of the ,latter in
 #ahdj--,recent ,eruption--,great ,jet  
and ,torrent of ,lava--,burning of the  
,forests--,great                        
,whirlwinds--,underground               
,explosions--,other ,volcanoes in the   
,pacific4   ,hawaii is well known in    
history as being the island where the   
celebrated navigator ,captain ,cook was 
killed4 ,the name used to be written    
,owhyhee2 but a better apprehension of  
the native pronunciation has led to its 
being altered into ,hawaii4 ,no one who 
visits it in the present day need be    
afraid of sharing the fate of poor      
,captain ,cook2 for the descendants of  
the savages who1 in his time1 inhabited 
the island1 have now1 through the       
labours of ,christian missionaries1     
become a very decent sort of quiet1     
well-behaved ,christian people4         
,hawaii1 which is the largest of a group
 called the ,sandwich ,islands1 can     

boast of the greatest volcanic crater in
 the world4 ,it is called sometimes     
,kirauea1 sometimes ,kilauea2 for the   
natives seem not very particular about  
the pronunciation of their l and their  
r2 but where one uses l another as      
pertinaciously employs r1 while a third 
set use a sound between the two1 as you 
may have heard some people do at home4  
,situated on the lower slopes of a lofty
 mountain called ,mouna-,roa1 or ,loa   
7for there is the same dubiety about the
 l and the r here as in the former      
case71 the crater of ,kilauea is a vast 
plain between fifteen and sixteen miles 
in circumference1 and sunk below the    
level of its borders to a depth varying 
from two hundred to four hundred        
feet--the walls of rock enclosing it    
being for the most part precipitous4    
,the surface of the ground is very      
uneven1 being strown with huge stones   
and masses of volcanic rock1 and it     
sounds hollow under the tramp of the    
foot4  ,towards the centre of the plain 

is a much deeper depression4 ,those who 
have ventured to approach it1 and look  
down1 describe it as an awful gulf1     
about eight hundred feet in depth1 and  
presenting a most gloomy and dismal     
aspect4 ,the bottom is covered with     
molten lava1 forming a great lake of    
fire1 which is continually boiling      
violently1 and whose fiery billows      
exhibit a wild terrific appearance4 ,the
 shape of the lake resembles the        
crescent moon2 its length is estimated  
at about two miles1 and its greatest    
breadth at about one mile4 ,it has      
numerous conical islands scattered round
 the edge1 or in the lake itself1 each  
of them being a little subordinate      
crater4 ,some of them are continually   
sending out columns of gray vapour2     
while from a few others shoots up what  
resembles flame4 ,it is1 probably1 only 
the bright glare of the lava they       
contain1 reflected upwards4 ,several of 
these conical islands are always        
belching forth from their mouths glowing

 streams of lava1 which roll in fiery   
torrents down their black and rugged    
sides into the boiling lake below4 ,they
 are said sometimes to throw up jets of 
lava to the height of upwards of sixty  
feet4 ,the foregoing woodcut can convey 
only an imperfect idea of this immense  
crater4  ,illustration3  ,crater of     
,kilauea  ,the outer margin of the gulf 
all round is nearly perpendicular4 ,the 
height of the bounding cliffs is        
estimated at about four hundred feet    
above a black horizontal ledge of       
hardened lava1 which completely         
encircles it1 and beyond which there is 
a gradual slope down into the burning   
lake4 ,the surface of the molten lava is
 at present between three and four      
hundred feet below this horizontal      
ledge2 but the lava is said sometimes to
 rise quite up to this level1 and to    
force its way out by forming an opening 
in the side of the mountain1 whence it  
flows down to the sea4 ,an eruption of  
this kind took place in #ahei4 ,on one  

side of the margin of the lake there is 
a long pale yellow streak formed by a   
bank of sulphur4 ,the faces of the rocks
 composing the outer walls of the crater
 have a pale ashy gray appearance1      
supposed to be due to the action of the 
sulphurous vapours4 ,the surface of the 
plain itself is much rent by fissures4  
,it is said that the glare from the     
molten lava in the lake is so great as  
to form rainbows on the passing         
rain-clouds4  ,the entire ,island of    
,hawaii is of volcanic origin2 and      
besides this great crater it contains   
two other lofty mountains1 whose summits
 are covered with snow1 and whose height
 is estimated at fifteen or sixteen     
thousand feet above the level of the    
sea4 ,the one is named ,mouna-,kaah or  
,keah1 the other is ,mouna-,loa--the    
same on whose lower flanks the crater of
 ,kilauea is situated4 ,mouna-,kaah has 
long been in a state of repose4 ,so also
 was ,mouna-,loa up to #ahdj1 when it   
burst forth with great fury1 and it has 

continued more or less in a state of    
activity ever since4 ,there has been a  
grand eruption very lately1 said by the 
natives to have been the greatest of any
 on record4  ,a new crater opened near  
the top1 at a height of about ten       
thousand feet1 and for three days a     
flood of lava poured down the           
north-eastern slope4 ,after a pause of  
about thirty-six hours1 there was opened
 on the eastern slope1 about half way   
down the mountain1 another crater1      
whence there rose an immense jet of     
liquid lava1 which attained a height of 
about a thousand feet1 and had a        
diameter of about a hundred feet4 ,this 
jet was sustained for twenty days and   
nights2 but during that time its height 
varied from the extreme limit of a      
thousand1 down to about a hundred feet4 
,the play of this fiery fountain was    
accompanied by explosions so loud as to 
be heard at the distance of forty miles4
 ,nothing could surpass the awful       
grandeur of this jet1 which was at a    

white heat when it issued from its      
source1 but1 cooling as it ascended into
 the air1 it became of a bright blood   
red1 which1 as the liquid fell1 deepened
 into crimson4  ,in a few days there was
 raised around this crater a cone of    
about three hundred feet in height1     
composed of the looser materials thrown 
out along with the lava4 ,this cone     
continued to glow with intense heat1    
throwing out occasional flashes4 ,the   
base of this cone eventually acquired a 
circumference of about a mile4 ,but the 
fountain itself formed a river of       
glowing lava1 which rushed and bounded  
with the speed of a torrent down the    
sides of the mountain1 filling up       
ravines and dashing over precipices1    
until it reached the forests at the foot
 of the volcano4 ,these burst into      
flames at the approach of the fiery     
torrent1 sending up volumes of smoke and
 steam high into the air4 ,the light    
from the burning forests and the lava   
together was so intense as to turn night

 into day1 and was seen by mariners at a
 distance of nearly two hundred miles4  
,during the day the air throughout a    
vast extent was filled with a murky     
haze1 through which the sun showed only 
a pallid glimmer4 ,smoke1 steam1 ashes1 
and cinders were tossed into the air and
 whirled about by fierce                
winds--sometimes spreading out like a   
fan1 but every moment changing both     
their form and colour4 ,the stream of   
lava from the fountain flowed to a      
distance of about thirty-five miles4    
,the scene was altogether terrific--the 
fierce red glare of the lava--the flames
 from the burning trees--the great      
volumes of smoke and steam--the loud    
underground explosions and              
thunderings1--all combined to overpower 
the senses1 and fill the mind with      
indescribable awe4  ,a remarkable       
volcanic chain runs along the northern  
and western margins of the ,pacific     
,ocean4 ,it embraces the ,aleutian      
,islands1 the peninsula of ,kamtschatka1

 the ,kurile1 the ,japanese1 and the    
,philippine ,islands4 ,the most         
interesting are the volcanoes of        
,kamtschatka1 in which there is an      
oft-renewed struggle between opposing   
forces--the snow and glaciers           
predominating for a while1 to be in     
their turn overpowered by torrents of   
liquid fire4     ,,chapter ,,ix4        
,atolls1 or ,coral ,islands--,their     
strange ,appearance--,their ,connexion  
with ,volcanoes--,their ,mode of        
,formation--,antarctic                  
,volcanoes--,diatomaceous ,deposits     
,to the southward of the ,sandwich      
,islands1 on the other side of the      
equator1 there is a large group of      
islands in the ,pacific1 which have a   
very peculiar appearance4 ,they are     
called ,atolls or ,coral ,islands4      
,although not exactly of volcanic       
origin1 yet the manner in which they are
 formed has some connexion with         
submarine volcanic action4  ,an atoll   
consists essentially of a ring of coral 

rocks but little elevated above the     
level of the sea1 and having in its     
centre a lagoon or salt-water lake1     
which generally communicates by a deep  
narrow channel with the sea4 ,the ring  
of rocks is flat on the surface1 which  
is composed of friable soil1 and        
sustains a luxuriant vegetation1 chiefly
 of cocoa-nut palms4 ,it is seldom more 
than half a mile in breadth between the 
sea and lagoon1 sometimes only three or 
four hundred yards4 ,the outer margin of
 the ring is the highest1 and it slopes 
gradually down towards the lagoon2 but  
on the outside of the ledge of rocks is 
a beach of dazzling whiteness1 composed 
of powdered and broken coral and shells4
 ,the appearance they present is thus   
not less beautiful than singular4 ,some 
of these islands are of large size1 from
 thirty to fifty miles long1 and from   
twenty to thirty broad1 but they are in 
general considerably smaller4 ,their    
most frequent form is either round or   
oval4 ,the rocks composing them are all 

formed by different species of coral4   
,the animal which constructs them is of 
the polyp tribe1 and so small that it   
can be seen only under the higher powers
 of the microscope4 ,it multiplies by   
means of buds like those of a tree1 the 
individuals all combining to form a     
composite stony mass1 which is called a 
polypidom4 ,a number of such polypidoms 
growing close together form a coral     
reef4 ,see woodcuts4  ,illustration3    
,coral  ,illustration3  ,coral ,polyp   
,it was at one time supposed that these 
coral reefs were erected on the edges of
 the craters of submarine volcanoes1 an 
opinion to which their annular form1 and
 the lagoon in the centre1 lent some    
countenance2 but the vast size of some  
of them1 united to several other        
particulars connected with them1 threw  
great doubts over this supposition4     
,more recently it has been shown by ,mr4
 ,darwin that1 while volcanic agency    
does perform a part in their formation1 
it is different from what had been      

formerly imagined4 ,his supposition is1 
that these coral reefs were built round 
the coasts of islands which had once    
stood very much higher above water than 
they do now4 ,he conceives that the     
bottom of the sea under them being very 
volcanic1 and containing large          
collections of molten lava beneath a    
thin solid crust1 the islands have      
gradually sunk down into the lava1 until
 their central parts have become covered
 with a considerable depth of water4    
,the central parts thus submerged1 he   
imagines1 form the lagoons in the middle
 of the islands1 while the ring of coral
 reefs has gradually grown upwards1 as  
the ground on which it rested sank      
downwards4  ,illustration3  ,coral      
,reef4  ,the corals thus rise to near   
the surface1 but immediately on their   
being uncovered by the water they die1  
and the reef ceases to grow4 ,then the  
waves by their action break the upper   
part of it into pieces1 which thus      
become heaped up by degrees on the      

remainder1 until the mass attain so     
great a height that the sea can no      
longer wash over it4 ,thus the curious  
ring of land is gradually formed1 and   
affords a nutritive soil1 in which      
cocoa-nuts1 on being cast ashore1       
germinate and grow to be large trees4   
,other seeds1 wafted by the waves or    
carried by birds1 also begin to grow1   
until the whole surface becomes covered 
with vegetation4 ,then comes man and    
builds his habitation upon those fertile
 spots1 and finds in them an agreeable  
and convenient abode1 well suited to    
those who are accustomed to live by     
fishing and other simple means4  ,you   
will thus perceive that the connexion   
between the atoll and the volcano       
consists in this--that while the coral  
builds up the reef1 the volcano beneath 
ingulfs the island and causes it to sink
 down4 ,in some instances1 however1 the 
volcano1 after a while1 reverses its    
action1 and raises up the island with   
the reef upon it4 ,in such cases1 the   

coral reefs are seen standing out of the
 water1 forming perpendicular cliffs    
several hundred feet in height4 ,then   
also the interior of the island becomes 
once more dry land1 and that1 too1 of   
great fertility4  ,illustration3  ,mount
 ,erebus4  ,almost due south of that    
region1 in the ,pacific1 where the coral
 islands abound1 but at a great distance
 from them1 and considerably within the 
limits of the ,antarctic zone1 lies     
,south ,victoria4 ,here1 in lat4 #gf    
degrees ,s41 ,captain ,ross discovered1 
in #ahda1 two volcanoes1 which he called
 ,erebus and ,terror1 after the names of
 his two ships4 ,of the former1 which is
 the higher of the two1 a view is given 
in the annexed woodcut4 ,it is covered  
with perpetual snow from the bottom even
 to the tip of the summit4              
,nevertheless1 it is continually sending
 forth vast columns of vapour1 which    
glow with the reflection of the white   
hot lava beneath4 ,these vapours ascend 
to a great height1 more than two        

thousand feet above the top of the cone1
 which is itself twelve thousand feet   
above the level of the sea4  ,there is  
found in these frozen regions a         
remarkable botanical curiosity1 having a
 certain connexion with volcanoes4 ,the 
waters of the ocean1 all along the      
borders of the icy barrier1 produce in  
amazing abundance the family of         
water-plants named ,diatomaceae4 ,the   
,diatoms are so called from their       
faculty of multiplying themselves       
indefinitely by splitting into two2 and 
so rapidly is this process performed1   
that in a month a single diatom may     
produce a thousand millions4 ,the       
quantity found in the ,antarctic regions
 is so immense that1 between the        
parallels of #fj degrees and #hj degrees
 of south latitude1 they stain the whole
 surface of the sea of a pale           
olive-brown tint4 ,these plants1 which  
are so minute as to be individually     
invisible1 save under the higher powers 
of the microscope1 have the curious     

property of encrusting themselves with a
 sheath1 or shell1 of pure silica4      
,these shells remain after the death of 
the plant1 and are as indestructible as 
flint4 ,they are marvellous objects1    
both as respects the elegance of their  
forms and the beauty of their markings4 
,so great is the accumulation of these  
shells at the bottom of the sea1 that   
they have formed an immense bank #djj   
miles in length by #abj in breadth1     
between the #gfth and #ghth degrees of  
south latitude4 ,one portion of this    
bank rests on the coast at the foot of  
,mount ,erebus4  ,now1 it is remarkable 
that these microscopic shells of        
,diatoms are not unfrequently found in  
the ejections of volcanoes2 while it is 
generally supposed that1 in the case of 
those situated near the sea1 eruptions  
are caused by the formation of explosive
 steam consequent on the access of      
sea-water to the reservoirs of molten   
lava lying underground4 ,the proximity  
of this ,diatomaceous bed to ,mount     

,erebus would easily explain how these  
minute shells might be found abundant in
 the fine dust ejected from that        
volcano4     ,,chapter ,x4  ,volcanoes  
of ,java--,papandayang--,mountain       
,ingulfed--,great ,destruction of ,life 
and                                     
,property--,galoen-gong--,destructive   
,eruption--,mount ,merapia--,great      
,eruption1 with ,hurricane--,another1   
very destructive--,mud ,volcano ,crater 
of ,tankuban-,prahu--,island of         
,sumbwa--,volcano of ,tomboro--,terrific
 ,eruption--,timor--,a ,volcano quenches
 itself--,cleaving of ,mount            
,machian--,sangir--,destructive         
,eruption--,bourbon4   ,one of the most 
marvellous volcanic regions in the world
 is that composed of the islands of the 
,malayan ,archipelago in the ,indian    
,ocean4 ,they form a chain stretching   
from east to west1 but curving up       
towards the north at the western        
extremity4 ,the most easterly of the    
chain is ,timor1 the most westerly      

,sumatra4  ,the most interesting of the 
group is ,java1 which is almost entirely
 of volcanic origin1 and contains no    
less than thirty-eight mountains of that
 conical form which indicates their     
having at one time or other been active 
volcanoes4 ,only a few of them1 however1
 have been in activity in more recent   
times4 ,the most remarkable eruption was
 that of the mountain named             
,papandayang1 which occurred in #aggb4  
,during this convulsion the greater part
 of the mountain1 which was formerly one
 of the largest in the island1 was      
completely swallowed up in some great   
underground gulf4  ,on the night between
 the #aath and #abth of ,august of that 
year1 the mountain appeared to be wholly
 enveloped in a remarkable luminous     
cloud4 ,the inhabitants fled in         
consternation2 but before they could all
 escape1 the mountain began to totter1  
and the greater part of it tumbled down 
and disappeared4 ,the crash with which  
it fell was dreadful1 the noise         

resembling the discharge of volleys of  
artillery4 ,besides that part of the    
mountain which thus fell in1 a large    
extent of ground in its neighbourhood   
was ingulfed4 ,the space measured       
fifteen miles in length and six in      
breadth4 ,the ground for many miles     
round this space was covered with       
immense quantities of ashes1 stones1    
cinders1 and other substances thrown out
 by the volcano4 ,these were1 on many   
parts of the surface1 accumulated to the
 height of three feet2 and even at the  
end of six weeks1 the layers thus       
deposited retained so much heat as to   
render the mountain inaccessible4 ,by   
this dreadful occurrence forty villages 
were destroyed1 some ingulfed with the  
ground on which they stood1 others      
buried under the loose materials which  
had been ejected4 ,not far short of     
three thousand of the inhabitants       
perished4  ,another of the volcanoes of 
,java1 called ,galoen-gong1 burst into  
eruption in #ahbb1 commencing with a    

terrible explosion of stones1 ashes1 c41
 followed by a stream of hot mud1 which 
overspread a large tract of ground4     
,this eruption proved still more fatal  
to human life1 about four thousand      
persons having been destroyed4  ,so     
lately as ,september #ahdi1 ,mount      
,merapia1 another volcano in this       
island1 which had been supposed to be   
quite extinct1 burst forth into an      
eruption1 which lasted three days4 ,it  
was accompanied by a violent hurricane4 
,the bed of a river was filled up by the
 matter thrown out from the crater1 and 
the destruction of property in crops1   
c41 was immense4 ,fortunately the       
inhabitants succeeded in making their   
escape1 so that no lives were lost4 ,a  
second eruption of this mountain        
however1 in ,january #ahfd1 was more    
disastrous1 three hundred and fifty     
people having perished4  ,java likewise 
contains a remarkable mud volcano4 ,when
 viewed from a distance1 there are seen 
to rise from it large volumes of vapour1

 like the spray from the billows dashing
 against a rocky shore1 and there is    
heard a loud noise like distant thunder4
 ,on a nearer approach1 the source of   
these phenomena is seen to be a         
hemispherical mound of black earth mixed
 with water1 about sixteen feet in      
diameter1 and which at intervals of a   
few seconds is pushed upwards by a force
 acting from beneath to a height of     
between twenty and thirty feet4 ,it then
 suddenly explodes with a loud noise1   
scattering in every direction a quantity
 of black mud1 which has a strong       
pungent smell resembling that of        
coal-tar1 and is considerably warmer    
than the air4 ,with the mud thus thrown 
out there has been formed around the    
mound a large perfectly level and nearly
 circular plain1 about half a mile in   
circumference4 ,the water mixed with the
 mud is salt1 and the salt is separated 
from it by evaporation for economical   
purposes4 ,during the rainy season the  
action of this mud volcano becomes more 

violent1 the explosions are louder1 and 
the mud is thrown to a greater height4  
,the crater of ,tangkuban-,prahu1       
another of the volcanoes of ,java1      
presents a remarkable appearance4 ,on   
approaching its edge1 nothing is seen   
but an abyss1 from which dense clouds of
 vapour continually arise1 with hideous 
sounds1 like the steam rushing from the 
open valves of hundreds of              
steam-engines4 ,this great abyss        
consists really of two craters1         
separated the one from the other by a   
narrow ridge of rock1 to which it is    
possible to descend and view them both4 
,each of them is elliptical in form1 and
 surrounded by a crater-wall4 ,that of  
the western1 which the natives call the 
poison-crater1 is a rapid slope nearly a
 thousand feet in depth1 and is densely 
covered with brushwood almost to the    
bottom4 ,the flat floor of this deep    
basin is continually sending out        
vapours1 and in its centre is a pool of 
boiling water of a sulphur yellow       

colour4 ,the floor itself is nothing but
 a crust of sulphur full of rents and   
holes1 whence vapours constantly arise4 
,this crust covers a surface of boiling 
hot bitter water1 and by breaking it    
beautiful crystals of sulphur may be    
obtained4  ,the eastern is called by the
 natives the king's-crater2 its walls   
are only between five and six hundred   
feet in depth1 and are perfectly bare   
from top to bottom4 ,the surfaces of the
 rocks composing them are grayish white1
 an effect produced upon them by the    
action of the vapours1 to which they are
 continually exposed4 ,the bottom of    
this crater consists of mud mixed with  
sulphur2 but round the edges are some   
stones and hard masses4 ,these are the  
remnants of an eruption which took place
 from this crater in #ahdf1 when there  
was thrown up a great mass of sulphurous
 boiling mud1 accompanied by quantities 
of sand and stones4 ,this mountain1     
therefore1 seems to be also more of the 
nature of a mud volcano1 than of one    

which throws out burning lava4  ,nearly 
in a right line to the eastward of ,java
 lies the ,island of ,sumbwa1 in which  
stands the volcano of ,tomboro1 the most
 violent in its eruptions of any in the 
world4 ,one of the most remarkable      
occurred in the year #ahae1 beginning on
 the #eth of ,april and continuing till 
the middle of ,july4 ,its effects were  
felt over an immense tract of country1  
embracing the ,molucca ,islands1 ,java1 
and portions of ,celebes1 ,sumatra1 and 
,borneo4 ,the concussions produced by   
its explosions were sensible at a       
distance of a thousand miles all round2 
and their sound is said to have been    
heard even at so great a distance as    
seventeen hundred miles4 ,in ,java the  
day was darkened by clouds of ashes1    
thrown from the mountain to that great  
distance 7three hundred miles71 and the 
houses1 streets1 and fields1 were       
covered to the depth of several inches  
with the ashes that fell from the air4  
,so great was the quantity of ashes     

ejected1 that the roofs of houses forty 
miles distant from the volcano were     
broken in by their weight4 ,the effects 
of the eruption extended even to the    
western coasts of ,sumatra1 where masses
 of pumice were seen floating on the    
surface of the sea1 several feet in     
thickness and many miles in extent4     
,from the crater itself there were seen 
to ascend three fiery columns1 which1   
after soaring to a great height1        
appeared to unite in a confused manner  
at their tops4 ,ere long1 the whole of  
the side of the mountain next the       
village of ,sang'ir seemed like one vast
 body of liquid fire4 ,the glare was    
terrific1 until towards evening1 when it
 became partly obscured by the vast     
quantities of dust1 ashes1 stones1 and  
cinders thrown up from the crater4      
,between nine and ten o'clock at night  
the ashes and stones began to fall upon 
the village of ,sang'ir1 and all round  
the neighbourhood of the mountain4 ,then
 arose a dreadful whirlwind1 which blew 

down nearly every house in the village1 
tossing the roofs and lighter parts high
 into the air4 ,in the neighbouring     
sea-port the effects were even more     
violent1 the largest trees having been  
torn up by the roots and whirled aloft4 
,before such a furious tempest no living
 thing could stand4 ,men1 horses1 and   
cattle were whirled into the air like so
 much chaff1 and then dashed violently  
down on the ground4 ,the sea rose nearly
 twelve feet above the highest          
tide-mark1 sweeping away houses1 trees1 
everything within its reach4  ,this     
whirlwind lasted about an hour1 and then
 commenced the awful internal           
thunderings of the mountain4 ,these     
continued with scarcely any intermission
 until the #aath of ,july1 when they    
became more moderate1 the intervals     
between them gradually increasing till  
the #aeth of ,july1 when they ceased4   
,almost all the villages for a long     
distance round the mountain were        
destroyed2 and it is computed that      

nearly twelve thousand persons perished4
 ,by far the greatest part of this      
destruction was wrought by the violence 
of the whirlwind which accompanied the  
eruption4  ,considerably to the eastward
 of ,sumbwa lies the ,island of ,timor1 
in which there was for a long time a    
volcanic peak1 whose perpetual fires    
served as a lighthouse to mariners      
navigating those seas4 ,but in the year 
#afcg there took place a great eruption 
of the mountain1 which ended in its     
being gobbled up whole and entire1      
leaving nothing behind it but a lake1 in
 which its fires were quenched1 and     
which now occupies its place4  ,to the  
north of ,timor lie the ,molucca        
,islands1 several of which are volcanic4
 ,in one of them1 named ,machian1 there 
occurred in the year #afdf an           
extraordinary event4 ,a mountain was    
rent from top to bottom1 sending out    
great columns of fire and dense vapours4
 ,the two parts now remain two distinct 
mountains4  ,in the ,island of ,sangir1 

another of the ,moluccas1 there was a   
violent eruption in ,march #ahef4 ,a    
large portion of the mountain fell down1
 and tremendous floods of water issued  
forth4 ,the destruction that ensued was 
dreadful1 upwards of two thousand       
persons having perished4  ,in another   
part of the ,indian ,ocean1 near        
,madagascar1 lies the little ,isle of   
,bourbon1 containing the volcano        
,salazes1 which occasionally throws out 
the curious thready substance already   
mentioned1 so strongly resembling spun  
glass4     ,,chapter ,,xi4  ,mud and    
,air                                    
,volcanoes--,luss--,macaluba--,taman--,k
orabetoff--,new ,island in the ,sea of  
,azof--,jokmali--,fires of ,baku--,mud  
,volcano in ,flank of ,etna--,air       
,volcanoes of ,turbaco1 ,cartagena1 and 
,galera-,zamba4   ,the curious mud      
volcano in the ,island of ,java1        
described in the preceding chapter1     
although presenting some peculiar       
features1 is not the only one of the    

kind in the world4 ,mud1 as you have    
learned1 is often thrown out in great   
quantities1 along with boiling water1   
even by true volcanoes1 which at other  
times eject ashes and lava4 ,but there  
are some volcanoes that never throw out 
anything else than mud and water1 gas   
and steam4 ,such are called mud         
volcanoes or salses4  ,the most         
remarkable assemblage of mud volcanoes  
in the world exists in the district of  
,luss1 lying at the south-east corner of
 ,beloochistan4 ,they extend over a very
 large area1 and are exceedingly        
numerous4 ,the cone of one of them is no
 less than four hundred feet high1 and  
the crater at the top is ninety feet in 
diameter4 ,the mud in the crater is     
quite liquid1 and is constantly         
disturbed by bubbles of gas1 and        
occasionally by jets of the mud itself4 
,more familiarly known is the mud       
volcano of ,macaluba1 near ,girgenti1 in
 ,sicily4 ,it is situated in a country  
much impregnated with sulphur and other 

inflammable matters4 ,the top of the    
hill is covered with dry clay1 in which 
are numerous basins full of warmish     
water mixed with mud and bitumen4 ,from 
these small craters bubbles of gas arise
 from time to time2 but at long         
intervals they become much more active1 
and throw up jets of wet mud to the     
height of nearly two hundred feet4 ,this
 mud smells strongly of sulphur4  ,in   
the peninsula of ,taman1 near the       
entrance to the ,sea of ,azof1 there is 
a group of mud volcanoes1 from one of   
which there was a considerable eruption 
on the #bgth of ,february #agic4 ,it was
 preceded by underground detonations1   
and accompanied by a column of fire and 
dense vapour1 which rose to the height  
of several hundred feet4 ,the discharge 
of mud and gas was abundant4 ,the       
accompaniment of fire and smoke makes   
this eruption more nearly resemble that 
of a true volcano4  ,there is in the    
adjacent parts of the ,crimea a mountain
 named ,korabetoff1 which also presents 

similar phenomena4 ,on the #fth of      
,august #ahec1 a column of fire and     
smoke was seen to rise from the top of  
this mountain to a great height1 and it 
continued for five or six minutes4 ,two 
other similar but less violent ejections
 of fire and smoke followed at short    
intervals4 ,these appearances were the  
accompaniments of an eruption of black  
fetid mud1 which overspread the ground  
at the foot of the mountain to a        
considerable depth4  ,a still more      
striking phenomenon occurred in the ,sea
 of ,azof1 on the #ajth of ,may #ahad4  
,on that day a column of flame and very 
thick smoke arose out of the water1 with
 a loud report like that of a cannon1   
and masses of earth with large stones   
were tossed high up into the air4 ,ten  
eruptions of this kind succeeded each   
other at intervals of about a quarter of
 an hour2 and after they had ceased for 
a time1 they began again during the     
night4 ,next morning it was found that  
an island had risen out of the sea1     

between nine and ten feet in height1    
surrounded by a lower level of hardened 
mud4 ,a strong fetid smell1 probably    
that of petroleum1 proceeded from the   
island1 and extended for a considerable 
distance all round4  ,illustration3     
,air ,volcanoes of ,turbaco  ,another   
mud volcano1 named ,jokmali1 near the   
,caspian ,sea1 was formed in ,november  
#ahbg4 ,in this case1 also1 the ejection
 of mud was for several hours preceded  
by flames1 rising to so great a height  
that they could be seen at a distance of
 twenty-four miles4 ,large pieces of    
rock were at the same time thrown up and
 scattered to considerable distances all
 round4 ,the entire district in which   
this mountain is situated1 has its soil 
copiously impregnated with petroleum1   
and numerous wells are formed for its   
collection4 ,quantities of this mineral 
oil are frequently found floating on the
 sea1 along the neighbouring shores1    
where the sailors are in the habit of   
setting fire to this floating petroleum1

 while they dexterously steer their     
boats so as to avoid the flames4 ,in    
this district also stands the city of   
,baku1 held sacred by the ,parsees1 or  
fire-worshippers1 who have here built a 
temple1 in which are kept burning       
perpetual fires1 fed by the naphtha     
springing from the ground4  ,during the 
past year1 #ahff1 a small mud volcano   
has been formed in the flanks of ,mount 
,etna4 ,it began with an outburst of    
strong jets of boiling water4 ,first1   
one rose to the height of about six     
feet1 then several others broke out1    
whereupon the height of the whole set   
diminished4 ,there was much gas bubbling
 through the water1 and some petroleum  
floated on its surface4 ,it was very    
muddy1 and left a thick deposit as it   
flowed away4 ,neither flames nor noise  
accompanied this eruption4  ,there are  
also diminutive volcanoes1 consisting of
 small conical hills1 from which nothing
 seems to be emitted but various sorts  
of gas4 ,these are called air volcanoes4

 ,such are those of ,turbaco in ,south  
,america1 discovered by ,baron          
,humboldt1 who has left us a picture of 
them1 of which you here have a copy4    
,these volcanic hillocks are truncated  
cones1 eighteen or twenty in number1    
composed of hardened mud1 from #ah to   
#bd feet in height1 and from about #adj 
to about #ahj feet in diameter at the   
base4 ,the small craters at the top are 
filled with liquid mud1 whence bubbles  
of gas1 chiefly nitrogen1 are being     
continually disengaged4  ,there is a    
similar1 but much larger1 group in the  
neighbouring province of ,cartagena4 ,it
 consists of about one hundred cones    
spread over a district of nearly four   
hundred square leagues4 ,there is also a
 group of about fifty cones within a    
range of four or five miles in the      
adjacent peninsula of ,galera-,zamba4 ,a
 sub-marine volcano1 from which there   
have been several eruptions1 is supposed
 to be connected with these numerous    
salses4     ,,chapter ,,xii4  ,new      

,zealand--,boiling ,fountains and ,lakes
   ,in the eruptions of mud volcanoes1  
described in the foregoing chapter1 a   
frequent ingredient is boiling water4   
,there are1 however1 several instances  
in which there are thrown up jets of    
boiling water that are not intermingled 
with mud1 but in which the water is     
either pure or impregnated with some    
mineral which it holds in perfect       
solution4 ,of this nature are the       
,geysers of ,iceland and ,california1   
already described4  ,in ,new ,zealand   
there is another variety of this        
phenomenon1 the boiling water issuing   
forth1 not in intermittent jets1 as in  
the ,geysers1 but in perpetually flowing
 springs1 forming lakes1 in which the   
water remains nearly at the boiling     
point4 ,these springs and lakes occur at
 a place called ,roto-,mahana4 ,the     
annexed woodcut will convey an idea of  
their appearance4  ,there are several   
basins raised one above another1 and all
 higher than the level of the large     

lake4 ,the highest is of an oval form1  
and about two hundred and fifty feet in 
circumference4 ,it is filled from an    
opening at the height of about a hundred
 feet above the level of the lower lake4
 ,at various stages below this upper    
basin are numerous other springs1 from  
which several similar basins are filled4
 ,the whole of these basins empty       
themselves into the large lake below1   
and the water in all of them is nearly  
boiling hot1 giving forth1 with a       
hissing sound1 volumes of white vapour4 
,illustration3  ,boiling ,lakes of ,roto
 ,mahana  ,these waters are richly      
impregnated with carbonate of lime1     
which has formed all round the margins  
of the basins beautiful incrustations of
 snowy whiteness4 ,the sand round the   
lake is very warm2 and if a stick be    
thrust into it1 jets of steam arise4    
,doubtless1 some years hence1 the       
enterprising ,english settlers will     
establish hot baths here4 ,not far from 
the lake there are smaller basins1 in   

which the water is not beyond what would
 be agreeable for a warm bath2 while it 
is of a blue colour and beautifully     
clear4  ,on both banks of the river     
,waikato1 also in this neighbourhood1   
are found numerous basins full of       
boiling mud or slime1 which cannot be   
approached save with extreme care1 owing
 to the softness and slipperiness of the
 soil4 ,the largest of these basins is  
oval in form1 #ad feet long by #h feet  
wide1 and about as much in depth4 ,it   
contains hot mud of a bright red colour1
 being strongly impregnated with oxide  
of iron4 ,large viscous bubbles are     
continually rising to the top1 and on   
bursting they emit a fetid1 sulphureous 
smell4 ,these phenomena are nearly akin 
to those of a mud volcano4     ,,chapter
 ,,xiii4  ,underground                  
,sounds--,quito--,rio                   
,apure--,guanaxuato--,melida--,nakous4  
,not the least remarkable among the     
phenomena produced by volcanic forces1  
are the strange underground noises which

 are occasionally heard4 ,for the most  
part these are the preludes either of   
shocks of earthquake or of volcanic     
eruptions4 ,those which for months      
preceded the upheaval of the volcano of 
,jorullo1 will recur to your            
remembrance4 ,for about a month before  
the great mud eruption from ,tunguragua 
on #dth ,february #agig1 already        
described1 there proceeded from the     
interior of that mountain noises of the 
most fearful kind4 ,these would occur   
suddenly in the midst of perfect        
silence4 ,they were heard by ,antonio   
,pineda1 the naturalist1 who was there  
at the time1 and they led him to        
foretell the approach of some great     
convulsion4 ,strange to say1 however1   
the catastrophe itself was unaccompanied
 by underground noises any where near   
the volcano4 ,but1 stranger still1 at   
,quito1 which is distant about #bjj     
miles1 a short time after the eruption  
began1 there were heard tremendous      
underground thunders4 ,but this         

distance1 between the site of the       
underground noises and the probable     
focus of disturbance1 was far exceeded  
in another remarkable instance4 ,it is  
stated by ,humboldt that1 in the grassy 
plains of ,calaboso1 on the banks of the
 ,rio ,apure1 a tributary of the        
,orinoco1 there were heard1 over a large
 extent of country1 loud underground    
thunders1 unaccompanied by any shaking  
of the ground2 while great streams of   
lava were being poured forth from the   
crater of ,morne-,garou1 in the ,island 
of ,st4 ,vincent1 at the distance of no 
less than #fcb miles in a right line4   
,this was as though an eruption of      
,mount ,vesuvius were accompanied by    
underground thunders in ,normandy4      
,there have1 nevertheless1 been         
instances of the existence of such      
underground noises1 without their having
 been followed either by an earthquake1 
by a volcanic eruption1 or any other    
outward appearance whatever4 ,one of the
 most remarkable cases of the kind1 was 

that mentioned by ,humboldt as having   
occurred at ,guanaxuato in ,mexico1 a   
mountain-city situated far from any     
active volcano4 ,this celebrated        
traveller states that these noises began
 on the #ith of ,january #aghd1 and     
lasted above a month4 ,the sounds were  
at first neither very loud nor very     
frequent2 but from the #aeth to the     
#afth of ,january they resembled        
continuous low rolling thunder1         
alternating with short loud             
thunder-claps4 ,the sounds then         
gradually died away and nothing came of 
them1 although they excited great terror
 among the inhabitants while they       
lasted4 ,there are mines in the         
neighbourhood fifteen hundred and       
ninety-eight ,english feet in depth1 yet
 neither in them nor at the surface     
could the least tremor be detected4  ,a 
somewhat similar phenomenon occurred in 
the ,island of ,melida in the ,adriatic1
 off the coast of ,dalmatia1 where      
underground rumblings were heard from   

,march #ahbb to ,september #ahbd2 but in
 this case the sounds were sometimes    
accompanied by shocks4  ,a still more   
singular phenomenon of this sort occurs 
on the borders of the ,red ,sea1 at a   
place called ,nakous1 where intermittent
 underground sounds have been heard for 
an unknown number of centuries4 ,it is  
situated at about half a mile's distance
 from the shore1 whence a long reach of 
sand ascends rapidly to a height of     
about three hundred feet4 ,this reach is
 about eighty feet wide1 and resembles  
an amphitheatre1 being walled in by low 
rocks4 ,the sounds coming up from the   
ground at this place recur at intervals 
of about an hour4 ,they at first        
resemble a low murmur2 but ere long     
there is heard a loud knocking1 somewhat
 like the strokes of a bell1 and which1 
at the end of about five minutes1       
becomes so strong as to agitate the     
sand4  ,the explanation of this curious 
phenomenon given by the ,arabs1 is1 that
 there is a convent under the ground    

here1 and that these sounds are those of
 the bell1 which the monks ring for     
prayers4 ,so they call it ,nakous1 which
 means a bell4 ,the ,arabs affirm that  
the noise so frightens their camels when
 they hear it as to render them furious4
 ,philosophers attribute the sounds to  
suppressed volcanic action--probably to 
the bubbling of gas or vapours          
underground4     ,,chapter ,,xiv4       
,extinct                                
,volcanoes--,auvergne--,vienne--,agde--,
eyfel--,italy--,lacus ,cimini--,grotto  
del ,cane--,guevo ,upas--,talaga        
,bodas--,the ,dead ,sea4   ,there are   
two sorts of extinct volcanoes3 first1  
those in which all evidences of activity
 have entirely ceased2 and1 secondly1   
those in which a subdued state of       
activity lingers4 ,the former are more  
widely distributed than the latter2 but 
sometimes both kinds occur in the same  
district of country4  ,extinct volcanoes
 are found in the district of ,auvergne 
in ,france4 ,solidified streams of lava 

occur at ,volvic near ,riom2 and the    
crater whence they descended is still   
visible on the top of the ,puy de       
,nugere4 ,it is an oblong basin1 having 
its edge broken on the side down which  
the lava flowed4 ,in its descent the    
fiery stream appears to have encountered
 a knoll of granite1 by which it was    
divided into two branches4 ,these seem  
to have reunited lower down1 and thence 
to have overspread the valley beneath4  
,the ,puy de ,cme1 a mountain near      
,clermont1 appears to have sent forth   
two streams of lava1 which have effected
 considerable changes in the surface of 
the country--blocking up the courses of 
rivers diverting them into new channels1
 and forming swamps in the old4 ,on the 
top of ,puy ,pariou1 to the north of    
,clermont1 there exists a perfect       
crater1 quite round1 and about two      
hundred and fifty feet deep1 whence     
there has flowed a stream of lava1 whose
 course can be distinctly traced4 ,the  
summit of ,puy ,graveniere1 a long      

round-backed hill also near ,clermont1  
consists almost entirely of a heap of   
volcanic cinders1 which have obliterated
 all traces of a crater2 but two streams
 of lava appear to have flowed from the 
sides of the mountain4 ,the ,puy de     
,dme1 and the mountains in its          
neighbourhood1 likewise appear to be of 
volcanic origin1 and to have been       
upheaved somewhat in the same manner as 
,jorullo4 ,although the aspect of the   
mountains of ,auvergne indicates so     
clearly their having been active since  
the surrounding country acquired its    
present general conformation1 neither   
history nor tradition has preserved any 
record of their eruptions4  ,there is   
extant1 however1 a letter from ,sidonius
 ,apollinaris1 a cotemporary of ,pliny1 
addressed to the ,bishop of ,vienne1 in 
which he refers to forms of prayer which
 had been appointed by the bishop at the
 time when earthquakes demolished the   
walls of ,vienne1 and the mountains1    
opening1 vomited forth torrents of      

inflamed materials4 ,it hence appears   
that the extinct volcanoes in the       
neighbourhood of ,vienne1 and perhaps   
those of ,le ,puy1 had been in a state  
of eruption not long after the beginning
 of the ,christian era4 ,to the westward
 of the latter town1 there is a number  
of small volcanic craters1 of which the 
two largest are the ,lake de ,bouchet   
and the ,crater of ,bar1 which also     
appears to have been at one time a lake1
 but is now dry4 ,the former has its    
greatest diameter about #bcjj feet1 with
 a depth of about #ij feet4 ,the latter 
is on the top of a mountain1 which is   
composed entirely of such substances as 
are ejected by volcanoes4 ,its diameter 
is about #affj1 and its depth about #acj
 feet2 while it is almost perfect in its
 form4 ,the mountains near ,vienne      
exhibit streams of lava1 which          
accommodate themselves to the existing  
valleys4 ,near ,agde also1 on the shores
 of the ,gulf of ,lions1 on the top of a
 hill named ,st4 ,loup1 there is an     

extinct crater1 whence have descended   
two streams of lava apparently of recent
 origin4 ,on one of them the town of    
,agde has been built2 the other projects
 into the sea4  ,the district of ,eyfel1
 on the borders of the ,rhine1 is       
another in which extinct volcanoes      
abound4 ,they occur mostly in the form  
of circular craters1 which are now      
filled with water1 their borders        
consisting of volcanic ejections4 ,they 
also exhibit various superficial streams
 of lava4 ,one of the most remarkable of
 these round craters lies near          
,andernuch1 a little west of the ,rhine4
 ,it is named the ,lake of ,laach1 and  
is nearly two miles in circumference4   
,on its margin are found numerous       
volcanic ejections1 exactly resembling  
those of ,mount ,vesuvius4              
,notwithstanding these evidences that   
the extinct volcanoes of ,eyfel have    
been in activity since the country      
acquired its present conformation1 there
 are no historical records of their     

operations4 ,there is1 indeed1 a passage
 in ,tacitus referring to fires that    
issued from the earth near ,cologne2 but
 his description does not warrant the   
conclusion that the event to which he   
alludes was of the nature of a volcanic 
eruption4 ,the ,drachenfels on the      
eastern bank of the ,rhine1 and the     
other mountains in its neighbourhood1   
belong to the more ancient volcanic     
formations4 ,the same may be affirmed of
 the other mountains scattered          
throughout ,germany and central ,europe 
generally1 in which rocks of volcanic   
origin occur4  ,there are a good many   
traces of extinct volcanoes in ,italy1  
besides those of the ,phlegran fields   
already mentioned4 ,in general character
 they resemble those previously         
described4 ,the chief localities are    
certain lakes1 near ,volterra in        
,tuscany1 which give forth very hot     
sulphurous and boracic acid vapours2 a  
small sulphureous lake near ,viterbo    
continually giving forth bubbles of gas2

 the ,lake of ,vico between ,viterbo and
 ,rome2 the mountain and ,lake of       
,albano near ,rome2 ,mount ,vultur in   
the ,apennines1 in the province of the  
,basilicata2 and ,lake ,agnano near     
,naples4 ,of these1 the ,lakes of ,vico 
and ,agnano are the most interesting4   
,the former is the ancient ,lacus       
,cimini1 and old authors state that its 
site was once occupied by a town1 whose 
ruins used to be visible at the bottom  
of the lake when the water was clear4   
,the ground1 with the town upon it1 is  
said to have been ingulfed during a     
volcanic convulsion1 when the lake was  
formed in its place4  ,the ,lake ,agnano
 is the site of an ancient volcanic     
crater1 and on its margin is situated   
the ,grotto del ,cane1 so famous for the
 deadly vapours it exhales4 ,these      
consist of carbonic acid gas1 in        
combination with watery vapour4 ,this   
celebrated ,grotto is thus described1 in
 his work on volcanoes1 by ,dr4         
,daubeny1 who visited the spot3--  ,the 

mouth of the cavern being somewhat more 
elevated than its interior1 a stratum of
 carbonic acid goes on constantly       
accumulating at the bottom1 but upon    
rising above the level of its mouth1    
flows like so much water over the brim4 
,hence the upper part of the cavern is  
free from any noxious vapour2 but the   
air of that below is so fully           
impregnated1 that it proves speedily    
fatal to any animal that is immersed in 
it1 as is shown to all strangers by the 
experiment with the dog4  ,the sensation
 ,i experienced1 on stooping my head for
 a moment to the bottom1 resembled that 
of which we are sometimes sensible on   
drinking a large glass of soda water in 
a state of brisk effervescence4 ,the    
cause in both instances is plainly the  
same4  ,the quantity of carbonic acid   
present in the cavern at various        
heights1 was shown by immersing in it   
various combustibles in a state of      
inflammation4 ,i found that phosphorus  
would continue lighted at about two feet

 from the bottom1 whilst a sulphur match
 went out a few inches above1 and a wax 
taper at a still higher level4  ,it was 
impossible to fire a pistol at the      
bottom of the cavern1 for although      
gunpowder may be exploded even in       
carbonic acid by the application of a   
heat sufficient to decompose the nitre1 
and consequently to envelop the mass in 
an atmosphere of oxygen gas1 yet the    
mere influence of a spark from steel    
produces too slight an augmentation of  
temperature for this purpose4  ,similar 
phenomena1 but on a grander scale1 are  
presented by the extinct crater in the  
,island of ,java called ,guevo ,upas1   
the ,poison-,valley4 ,it is a level     
about half a mile in circumference1     
surrounded by precipitous rocks4 ,from  
various parts of its soil carbonic acid 
gas is discharged in such quantities as 
to prove fatal to any animal venturing  
nigh4 ,the ground is consequently strown
 with numerous skeletons4 ,this valley  
gave rise to the famous figment about   

the upas-tree1 which once obtained such 
general belief in ,europe4  ,there is   
another extinct crater in ,java1 whence 
are exhaled vapours equally deadly1 but 
which exert a most peculiar effect on   
the dead carcasses subjected to their   
influence4 ,instead of their being1 as  
in the ,gruevo ,upas1 reduced to        
skeletons1 the carcasses have all their 
bones dissolved by the vapours2 while   
the flesh1 skin1 hair1 and nails are by 
their action preserved from decay4 ,this
 remarkable crater is situated near the 
volcano of ,talaga ,bodas4  ,of all the 
extinct volcanoes in the world1 however1
 none is so remarkable as the ,dead     
,sea4 ,that singular collection of salt 
and bitter water has the level of its   
surface depressed #acab feet below that 
of the ,mediterranean--thus indicating  
an enormous subsidence4 ,the ,dead ,sea 
occupies the site of what was formerly  
the plain of ,jordan1 described as      
having been well-watered everywhere1 as 
the garden of the ,lord1 like the land  

of ,egypt4 ,one part of it1 called the  
,vale of ,siddim1 was full of           
slime-pits--the only indications of     
volcanic action4 ,when the cities of    
,sodom and ,gomorrah1 which stood in the
 plain1 were destroyed1 the ,lord1 it is
 said1 rained upon them fire and        
brimstone from heaven2 but while these  
fell upon the cities from the           
atmosphere1 it appears that they must   
have primarily been discharged from the 
earth2 for the smoke of the country went
 up as the smoke of a furnace4 ,the     
phenomena1 therefore1 most likely       
resembled1 in the first instance1 those 
of ,jorullo2 but the catastrophe seems  
to have ended like the last great       
eruption of the volcano in ,timor--the  
whole of the plain having been ingulfed 
and replaced by the salt lake1 whose    
depressed level so clearly indicates the
 nature of its origin4