EULOGY ON GAY-LUSSAC. 149 



the welcome of the three illustrious observers ;) eruptions of dust, tor- 

 rents of lava, electrical phenomena, nothing was wanting. 



Finally Gay-Lussac had the good fortune, (the expression is not mine ; 

 I borrow it from one of the fellow-travelers of the learned chemist) — 

 he had the good fortune of being witness of one of the most frightful 

 earthquakes ever experienced at Naples. 



Gay-Lussac eagerly seized this opportunity of coping with the prob- 

 lem which, since Empedocles, had defied the sagacity of observers. We 

 will soon give an account of the results collected by our friend in the 

 six ascensions of Vesuvius which followed each other in quick succession. 



The time not devoted by Gay-Lussac to the study of the burning 

 volcano was employed in examining the collections of natural history, 

 and especially of former volcanic eruptions, which are found in great 

 numbers in Naples ; our travelers had much reason to be gratified at 

 the kind attentions and exquisite politeness of the Duke de la Torre 

 and Colonel Pole ; but such was not their experience with Dr. Thomp- 

 son. When they presented themselves, accompanied by a Neapolitan 

 scientist, to study his museum, he addressed them in these outrageous 

 words: " Separate yourselves, gentlemen; I can keep my eyes on two, 

 but not upon four." One feels tempted to ask from what society of 

 lazzaroni had Dr. Thompson borrowed sentiments so low and lan- 

 guage so indecent ; but all is explained when we learn that Thompson 

 was the physician, friend, and confidential agent of General Acton, the 

 instigator of the political assassinations which defiled Naples at the 

 close of the last century. 



In his expeditions around Naples, by land and water, M. Gay-Lussac 

 corrected some erroneous ideas, then generally entertained. He found, 

 for example, that the air confined in sea-water contained, instead of 21 

 parts of oxygen, as ordinary air does, above 30 parts of oxygen for 100. 

 He visited Monte Nuovo and Epomeo with M. de Buch. Ou seeing 

 Monte Nuovo, Gay-Lussac fully adopted the opinion that M. de Buch 

 was then beginning to disseminate in the scientific world, according to 

 which mountains may suddenly spring out of the earth by means of 

 upheavals. 



Epomeo seemed to them to have the characteristics of an abortive 

 volcano, without fire, or smoke, or crater of any kind. 



After having finished their labors in Naples, our travelers returned 

 to Eome, where they remained but a short time. On the 17th of Sep- 

 tember, 1805, Messrs. de Humboldt, de Buch, and Gay-Lussac quitted 

 Rome to repair to Florence. They took the mountain road, in order to 

 visit the celebrated baths of Nocera, near which Popes Clement XII and 

 Benoit XIII had erected some real palaces, with all the necessary appli- 

 ances for invalids, who, from June until September, brought plenty into 

 the surrounding country. 



- There an important problem was presented. Morrichini had found, 

 by chemical analysis, that air obtained from these waters contained 40 



