132 Mr Forbes's Physical Notices of the Bay of Naples, 



fruit, as it was when I visited the spot in the beginning of De- 

 cember 1826. 



The communication of the Solfatara with Vesuvius is a point 

 of great interest, but which unfortunately we have insufficient 

 means of deciding upon, nor has it sufficiently excited the ex- 

 amination of observers. Brcislak, who certainly had the best 

 means of judging, wholly denies it, though I feel convinced 

 that his expressions are too strong on the subject, and even con- 

 trary to some of the now most received opinions of the laws 

 which regulate the position of volcanic emissaries. — He says, 

 " Beaucoup de physiciens ont voulu etablir une communica- 

 tion entre la Solfatare et le Vesuve, et d'autres entre la Sol- 

 fa tare et la mer. Pour ce qui regarde la premiere je puis as- 

 surer quVlle n'existe pas. J'ai fait sur cela beaucoup d'obser- 

 vations de suite, dent le resultat est que, soit que le Vesuve 

 vomisse des torrents de lave, solt qu'il laisse echapper une 

 epaisse colonne de fumee, soit qu'il soit parfaitement tranquille, 

 les fumeroles de la Solfatare sont constamment dans le meme 

 etat. Ces vapeurs n''ont d'ailleurs aucun rapport avec celles 

 de Vesuve. Dans les premiers domine Tacide sulphureux, 

 dans les secondes le muriatique. La communication de la 

 Solfatare avec le mer nVst pas moins imaginaire."* This is 

 certainly sufficiently conclusive in its terms, yet from what I 

 heard during my residence at Naples, I cannot help doubting 

 the accuracy of the statement, so directly urged in support of 

 a theory now nearly abandoned, that volcanos have no connec- 

 tion with the sea, which Breislak more amply defends in his 

 notes to the larger description of the Solfatara. The very in- 

 telligent guide to Vesuvius, a true philosopher, and diligent 

 observer, informed me, that during commotions in the state of 

 Vesuvius, the Solfatara displays much less activity than at other 

 times. Again, when visiting the Solfatara, we were informed 

 that the " fumerole" were unusually quiescent, owmg to the 

 agitated state of Vesuvius at that period. With regard to the 

 variation in the nature of the gases in the two localities, it is a 

 partial and incorrect statement of facts, at least according to 

 the best modern authors. Not only does muriatic acid occur at 



■ Campanie, ii. 70. 



