428 [^''y- 



had been sitting only a few minutes, however, when we saw a 

 huge boulder six feet in diameter issue from the lava. We all 

 rushed, as by instinct, up the banks of scoriae to get beyond 

 its reach, and, turning, saw it come bounding through our 

 sandy valley, and, just by where we had been setting, it struck 

 a rock and threw off thousands of red-hot fragments that went 

 bounding through the air like so manj^ meteors. 



" We made a very hasty retreat from our pleasant valley, not 

 knowing what might be the next move. 



" A walk of half a mile brought us where we could have a full 

 view of four streams of burning lava. Three of these had di- 

 vided into two each about half way down the cone, and two 

 had reached the vallej^, and one or two others were nearly 

 down. 



" It was now dark, and the brilliant display of these, combined 

 with the incessant shower of stones thrown up by the crater, 

 which fell by thousands on the side of the mountain, and could 

 be seen chasing each other down the declivit}^, cannot be de- 

 scribed. 



" I took a sketch of the position of the streams, and, on my 

 return. Professor Phillips, of Oxford, seemed so much inter- 

 ested in our account, that I gave it to him. 



" Our guide said there had been no such flow of lava before 

 this year. His statement is not of much value, were it not con- 

 firmed by others." 



New nomination 589 was read. 

 And the Society was adjourned. 



Stated Meeting, May 15, 1868. 



Present, nine members. 



Professor Cresson, Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Donations for the Library were announced, viz. : from the 

 Royal Academy, at Turin ; From Professor 2antedeschi, at 

 Venice ; from the Geographical Society, at Paris ; from M. 

 Dunod, Editor of the Annals des Mines, Paris ; from the 



I 



