Notice of an Eruption in Vesuvius February 1832. 385 



was violent and steady, we were able, with little danger, to stand 

 on the brink, while tremendous volleys of red hot stones were 

 projected several hundred feet into the air. The explosion had 

 a sound unlike any noise I ever heard, — something between the 

 noise of artillery and the rolling of thunder. The phenomena 

 were so very striking and violent, that, though unprovided with 

 provisions and other necessaries, we resolved to spend the night 

 amongst the lava of the summit of the outer cone, in order that 

 we might again ascend the crater or inner cone, when it was 

 completely dark. During the interval, while looking about us, 

 we were astonished and delighted to perceive, at some distance 

 from the crater itself, a stream of hot lava, which it turned out 

 had but commenced that morning. Its movement was slow and 

 sluggish ; and, near the source, might be at the rate of a mile 

 an hour. Even then, by stepping lightly across, we could pass 

 some parts of it. After resting beneath a mass of old lava till 

 seven o''clock in the evening, we with some difficulty (for the 

 wind was tremendous), gained the brink of the crater a second 

 time ; and certainly no sight in nature can be more sublime and 

 splendid than that we witnessed. The explosions and volleys 

 of red hot stones were even greater than during the day, some 

 of the masses being many feet in diameter, and the opposite side 

 of the crater from where we stood (some hundred feet high), was 

 literally strewed with them. A few of the masses fell near us, 

 but generally they could be easily avoided. We were again 

 obliged to retire to our shelter, as, until the moon rose, we could 

 not cross the sea of old lava which surrounded the cone of the 

 crater. At three o'clock in the morning we reached the foot of 

 the mountain, and at four we returned to Naples, considerably 

 fatigued, and in rather a pitiable condition as to habiliments, 

 as my hat and handkerchief had l>een swept into the crater, and 

 my clothes were literally reduced to a bundle of rags. Last night 

 the stream of lava, as far as we could observe from Naples, 

 had already reached the base of the great cone, and to-day we 

 think it has now fallen into the course of the stream of last 

 month, having, during its course down the side of the cone, been 

 parallel to it. Just now (at night) I see it from my window like 

 a bright stripe or bank of pv?rpendicular fire in the atmosphere. 



JANUAKY— MARCH 1832. C C 



