M. FOUQU&S SANTORIN AND ITS ERUPTIONS. 537 



sian irons (augite and hypersthene) ; 4. Feldspars in large crystals ; 

 5. Microlithic granules of titaniferous oxide of iron ; G. Feldspathic 

 microliths. 



The general lava of the eruption of 1866 contains as inclosed masses 

 lavas, the mineral composition of which differs considerably from that 

 of the medium which surrounds them, of types which have a consider- 

 able part in the constitution of the ancient lavas of the volcano. The 

 minerals of the recent lava are generally penetrated by foreign mat- 

 ters, microscopic inclusions which are sometimes crystalline, sometimes 

 composed of amorphous matter. The latter inclusions are portions of 

 the surrounding matter which remains inclosed in the crystals at the 

 moment they are formed, and nearly always contain a bubble of gas, 

 in which M. Fouque found minute quantities of matter analogous in 

 its properties to organic matter. Jets of ashes were cast out in many 

 of the spurts of the eruption. These ashes are lava pulverized by the 

 quick passage of gases and vapors through it while it was still more or 

 less fluid. Its condition as to crystallinity depends on the condition 

 of the lava at the moment it became an ash. The more fluid the lava, 

 the more like pumice is the ash. If the lava has become charged with 

 crystalline substances, especially if they are microliths, the ashes will 

 offer the same characteristics. In the present case the ashes, being 

 derived from lavas which were so crystalline that they were hardly 

 fluid, were rich in crystals and microliths. 



Remarkable movements of the soil have been produced by the 

 eruptions within a limited space around the principal cones of the 

 volcano, and have notably modified the surface of the land to that 

 extent. These manifestations have always been special subjects of 

 study with geologists. 



Besides the phenomena already described, the complete develop- 

 ment of an eruption involves : 1. The opening of the ground ; 2. The 

 formation of a cone or crater ; 3. The production of a stream of lava. 

 All these manifestations took place during- the last eruption at Santo- 

 rin. Eruptions analogous to those of 1866 have taken place in the Bay 

 of Santorin since the beginning of the historical period, and have given 

 rise to the islands which are known as the Kamenis. The bay itself 

 was created by a catastrophe which was anterior to history, for no 

 writer of antiquity mentions it. Yet remains of habitations have been 

 discovered in the lava, with numerous objects and domestic utensils, 

 which lead to the conclusion that a civilized population, who had al- 

 ready developed artistic tastes, were its witnesses and victims. Judi- 

 ciously conducted excavations and microscopic examinations of their 

 potteries have furnished much information concerning these ancient 

 people. They were laborers and fishermen ; they had flocks of goats 

 and sheep, cultivated grain, made meal, extracted the oil from olives, 

 wove cloths, fished with nets, and lived in houses with walls of squared 

 stone and wooden beams. Most of their tools were of stone, the com- 



