Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1828. 299 



falling again into the middle of the crater, in less than half an 

 hour formed a small cone, which vomited globes of bluish 

 white smoke and sparks and flashes of fire. The shocks, which 

 resembled the discharge of immense cannons, were now re- 

 peated every minute, the last always exceeding the former 

 ones in violence. The entire surface of the bottom of the 

 crater, and the sides adjacent, exhibited constantly a heaving 

 motion ; and at the moment when the fused and red-hot 

 materials were thrown into the air, the bottom as well as part 

 of the interior sides which were already moved from their 

 position, sunk and rose again. This phenomenon was re- 

 peated every time that the subterranean detonations were felt, 

 and the heaving continued until the moment of the expulsion 

 of the lava, which scarcely reached the edge of the little cone. 

 This, as if on the point of disgorging itself entirely, projected 

 impetuously into the air a stream of materials accompanied by 

 dense white and red smoke. 



It seemed as if the axis of the volcanic funnel were in the 

 centre of the new cone ; for all the substances were ejected 

 perpendicularly from it, dispersed through the air, and fell 

 again in various forms. 



As the evening advanced, these phenomena augmented. 

 The wind blew from the south, and spires of smoke resembling 

 pine-trees, and scarcely rising through the air, inclined towards 

 the most elevated part of the cone,, called il Palo. The sky 

 was serene, and experienced no interruption of its tranquil- 

 lity, although between the eruptions were heard loud ex- 

 plosions and a bellowing sound, whilst electric sparks rose in 

 the air. 



On the 15th, the summit of the cone appeared covered with 

 globes of dense smoke, rising one above the other ; the bottom 

 of the interior was entirely covered with scoria ejected from 

 the funnel : the shocks were not so frequent, and the rumbling 

 noises had considerably decreased. At noon, however, all 

 their former violence returned, and they appeared even louder 

 than before; their intensity increased from three till seven 

 o'clock in the evening ; so that the accumulation of melted 

 substances had, by this time, elevated the bottom of the crater. 



In this state, without any sensible variation in the pheno- 



