ond fever-fit of the mountain may be said to have manifested itself at this time. I was watching its motions from the mole of Naples, which has a full view of the volcano, and had been witness to several glorious pieteresque effects produced by the reflection of the deep red fire, which issued from the crater of Vesuvius, and mounted up in the midst of the huge clouds, when a summer storm, called here a tropea, came on suddenly, and blended its heavy watery clouds with the sulphureons and mineral ones, which were already like so many other mountains, piled over the summit of the volcano. At this moment a fountain of fire was shot up to an incredible height, casting so bright a light, that the smallest objects could be clearly distinguished at any place within "six miles or more of Vesuvius.

The black stormy clouds passing swiftly over, and at times covering the whole, or a part of the bright column of fire, at other times elearing away, and giving a full view of it, with the various tints produced by its reverberated light on the white clouds above, in contrast with the pale flashes of forked lightning that attended the tropea, formed such a scene as no powor of art can ever express.

That which followed the next evening was surely much more formidable and alarming; but this was more beautiful and sublime than even the most lively imagination can paint to itself. This great explosion did not last above eight or ten minutes, after which Vesuvius was totally eclipsed by the dark clouds, and there fell a heavy shower of rain.

Some scoriæ and small stones fell at Ottaiano during this eruption, and some of a very great size in the valley between Vesuvius and the Hermitage. All the inhabitants of the towns at the foot of the volcano were in the greatest alarm, and preparing to abandon their houses, had the eruption continued long

'er.

One of his Sicilian majesty's game-keepers, who ̈was out in the fields near Ottaiano, whilst this com

bined storm was at its height, was greatly surprised to find the drops of rain scald his face and hands, which phenomenon was probably occasioned by the clouds having acquired a great deal of heat in passing through the above mentioned column of fire. The king of Naples did me the honour of informing me of this curious circumstance.

Sunday, August the eighth, Vesuvius was quiet till towards six o'clock in the evening, when a great smoke began to gather again over its crater, and, about an hour after, a rumbling subterraneous noise was heard in the neighbourhood of the volcano; the usual throws of red-hot stones and scoriæ began and increased every instant. I was at this time at Pausilipo, in the company of several of my countrymen, observing with good telescopes the curious phenomena in the crater of Vesuvius, which, with such help, we could distinguish as well as if we had been actu. ally seated on the summit of the volcano. The crater seemed much enlarged by the violence of last night's explosions, and the little mountain no longer existed. About nine o'clock there was a loud report, which shook the houses of Portici and its neighbourhood to such a degree, as to alarm their inhabitants, and drive them out into the streets; and, as I have since seen, many windows were broken, and walls cracked, by the confusion of the air from that explosion, though faintly heard at Naples.

In an instant a fountain of liquid transparent fire began to rise, and, gradually increasing, arrived at so amazing a height as to strike every one who beheld it with the most awful astonishment. I shall scarcely be credited when I affirm, that, to the best of my judgment, the height of this stupendous column of fire could not be less than three times that of Vesuvius itself, which rises perpendicularly near 3700 feet above the level of the sea.

Puffs of smoke, as black as can possibly be imagined, succeeded one another hastily, and accompanied the red-hot transparent and liquid lava, interrupting

its splendid brightness here and there by patches of the darkest hue.

Within these puffs of smoke, at the very moment of their emission from the crater, I could perceive a bright, but pale electrical fire, briskly playing about in zig-zag lines.

The wind was S. W. and, though gentle, was suf ficient to carry these detached clouds or puffs of smoke out of the column of fire; and a collection of them, by degrees, formed a black and extensive curtain (if I may be allowed the expression) behind it ; in other parts of the sky it was perfectly clear, and the stars were bright.

The fiery fountain, of so gigantic a size, upon the dark ground above-mentioned, made the most glorious contrast imaginable, and the blaze of it, reflected strongly on the surface of the sea, which was at that time perfectly smooth, added greatly to this sublime view.

The liquid lava, mixed with stones and scoriæ, after having mounted, I verily believe, at the least ten thousand feet, was partly directed by the wind towards Ottaiano, and partly falling almost perpendicularly, still red-hot and liquid, on Vesuvius, covered its whole cone, part of that of the mountain of Somma, and the valley between them. The falling matter being nearly as vivid and inflamed as that which was continually issuing fresh from the crater, formed with it one complete body of fire, which could not be less than two miles and a half in breadth, and of the extraordinary height above-mentioned, casting a heat to the distance of at least six miles round it.

The brush-wood on the mountain of Somma was soon in a blaze; which flame, being of a different tint from the deep red of the matter thrown out of the volcano, and from the silvery blue of the electrical fire, still added to the contrast of this most extraordi nary scene.

The black cloud increasing greatly, once bent towards Naples, and seemed to threaten this fair city with speedy destruction; for it was charged with electrical matter, which kept constantly darting about it in strong and bright zig-zags, just like those described by Pliny the younger in his letter to Tacitus, and which accompanied the great eruption of Vesuvius that proved fatal to his uncle. "Ab altero latere, nubes atra et horrenda, ignei, spiritus tortis vibratisque discursibus rupta, in longas flammarum figuras dehiscebat ; fulgoribus ille et similes et majores."

This volcanic lightning, however, as I particularly remarked, very rarely quitted the cloud, but usually returned to the great column of fire towards the crater of the volcano from whence it originally came. Once or twice, indeed, I saw this lightning (or ferilla as it is called here) fall on the top of Somma, and set fire to some dry grass and bushes.

Fortunately for us, the wind increasing from the S. W. quarter, carried back the threatening cloud just as it had reached the city, and began to occasion great alarm. All public diversions ceased in an instant, and the theatres being shut, the doors of the churches were thrown open. Numerous processions were formed in the streets, and women and children, with disshevelled heads, filled the air with their cries, insisting loudly upon the relics of St. Januarius being immediately opposed to the fury of the mountain. In short, the populace of this great city began to display its usual extravagant mixture of riot and bigotry; and if some speedy and well-timed precautions had not been taken, Naples would, perhaps, have been in more danger of suffering from the irregularities of its lower class of inhabitants, than from the angry volcano.

But to return to my subject. After the column of fire had continued in full force near half an hour, the eruption ceased all at once, and Vesuvius remained sulfen and silent. After the dazzling light of the

fiery mountain, all seemed dark and dismal except the cone of Vesuvius, which was covered with glowing cinders and scoriæ, from under which, at times, here and there, small streams of liquid lava had escaped, and rolled down the steep sides of the volcano. This scene put me in mind of Martial's description of Etna.

"Cuncta jacent flammis et tristi mersa favillâ.”

In the parts of Naples nearest Vesuvins, whilst the eruption lasted, a mixed smell like that of sulphur, with the vapours of an iron foundry, was sensible; but nearer to the mountain that smell was very offensive, as I have often found it in my visits to Vesuvius during an eruption.

Thus have I endeavoured to convey to my readers, at least a faint idea of a scene so glorious and sublime, as perhaps may have never before been viewed by human eyes, at least in such perfection.

SIR W. HAMILTON.

SECT. XL.

OF MOUNT ÆTNA. MAY 29, 1770.

A FEW days ago, we set off to visit Mount Ætna, that venerable and respectable father of mountains. His base, and his immense declivities, are covered over with a numerous progeny of his own; for every great eruption produces a new mountain; and perhaps, by the number of these, better than by any other method, the number of eruptions, and the age of Ætna itself, might be ascertained.

The whole mountain is divided into three distinct regions, called La Regione Culta, or Piedmontese, The Fertile Region; La Regione Sylvosa, or Nemorosa, The Woody Region; and La Regione Deserta, or Scoperta, The Barren Region.

These three are different, both in climate and productions, as the three zones of the earth, and per

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