1868.] 423 [Marsh. 



of broken lava, twisted into every conceivable shape, like ice 

 frozen in a gale, and then broken by the water passing from 

 under it, and allowing it to settle down on pointed rocks. 

 Thiti cakes were sometimes turned up edgewise twenty feet in 

 height. No polar sea of field ice could be more hummocky. 

 It required great caution in moving amongst it, for it was like 

 cast iron and glass ; the least touch would cut clothing and 

 skin. But the footing was sure ; you could no more slip than 

 on a cross-cut file. 



" The extent of this field, which was almost entirely of recent 

 origin, I could hardly tell ; but it was naany thousand acres. 

 It extended quite to the base of the mountain on the north side, 

 where it had pushed and piled itself like ice along shore. This 

 shore ridge was from ten to twenty or thirty feet high, and on 

 both sides was very steej), making })erhaps an angle of 50^ with 

 the horizon. Nothing but lava could have remained so. On 

 the outside of this ridge was loose earth, and we there found 

 our horses, which had been sent to meet us ; but as the side of 

 the mountain was about half as steep as the lava ridge, we de- 

 clined to mount until we reached a less sliding road. 



"Much of the field of black lava or scoria was still warm, 

 and in some places so hot that we had to hurry over it. 



" Vesuvius is not so active now as it was about a week ago. 

 On the evening of the 14th, when I arrived, it was throwing up 

 ashes and stones to the height of several hundred feet, and the 

 flames at the top resembled those from the chimney of a blast 

 furnace, but were intermittent, with intervals of some ten or 

 fifteen seconds, as though the earth or the mountain were 

 breathing. It seemed decidedly feverish." 



March 21, 10 p.m. 

 " I have just been viewing Vesuvius from the toj) of the house 

 with a glass. It is in quite an agitated condition, breathing 

 hard. I could see the shower of stones just as plainl}' as I 

 could see the stars. Sometimes a whole mass of flame would 

 rise up above the top of the mountain, and then subside again ; 

 but generally the stones and ashes were thrown up as by an 

 explosion, and at various angles of elevation. We gauged 

 the height b}' the aperture of the glass, throwing it upon the 

 stars in Orion's belt, for comparison ; also timed the falling of 

 the stones from five to six seconds. I have roughly estimated 

 that the}' were thrown up from four to six hundred feet." 



