22 2 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the starlit sky beyond appeared to have risen somewhat and to be 

 thinner and more transparent where it had before been black and hard- 

 edged. Its rise could be measured by the group of royal palms about 

 the statue of the Empress Josephine, which lay in that direction. 

 These notes were made from the middle of the open ' Savane ' or com- 

 mon, while a negro boy held a candle for making compass observations 

 and writing. The increase in sheet lightnings was accompanied by 

 thunder claps from different directions. Some of these came from 

 the east, and they were undoubtedly produced by the local showers. 



At 10 o'clock it was pitch dark, with no horizon visible; white 

 clouds rose high southwest. 



At 10 :08 heavy thunder was heard to the north in the direction of 

 the high Pitons de Carbet. The lightning from the dust vault had 

 grown more sparse and the short worms had gradually given place to 

 elongate serpent-like flashes with increasing intervals. Following 

 these thunder crashes from the north, there was a magnificent lightning 

 display across the zenith. At 10:10, in the direction of the volcano 

 north-northwest, long curved orange flashes rent the vault from east 

 to west. 



At 10:15 rumbling was renewed from the direction of the volcano 

 and lightning was also seen. This rumbling resembled rather a slight 

 renewal of the steam explosions than local thunder. It is worthy of 

 note that the sound at Martinique under the dust cloud was different 

 from that observed at great distances. At Barbados this eruption of 

 the night of the ninth was heard distinctly as a series of heavy de- 

 tonations in quick succession, resembling heavy ordnance close at hand. 

 The distance, over one hundred miles, and the angle by which the sound 

 traveled, probably from above the dust vault, produced a different 

 acoustic effect from what was observed in the immediate vicinity of 

 the volcano. Probably only the louder explosions carried so far, which 

 would account for the discontinuous quality of the detonations. At 

 Fort de France the effect was as though the dust billows had a 

 muSiing effect. 



At 10:25 there was a cessation of active phenomena for nearly 

 a half hour. 



At 10 :50 a breeze sprang up from the south. 



At 10:55 there was heavy thunder in the northwest, and some ser- 

 pent flashes of lightning. 



At 11 :15 the dust dome was obscured by rain clouds, showers fell 

 and there was occasional distant lightning. 



At 11 :40 thunder was heard to the south. At this time a quadrant 

 of the southern horizon cleared, showing itself below the straight edge 

 of overhanging cloud. After this the night settled down to a condi- 

 tion of quiet cloudiness with the wind southerly, and the temperature 



