163 
it. As to the more violent eruptions of Kilauea, native tradi- 
tions speak of them as overflowing the country, and that the 
disturbances were “always accompanied by dreadful earth- 
quakes, loud claps of thunder, with vivid and quick succeeding 
lightning.”’* 
One of the most remarkable, and best known, volcanic 
districts is that of the Bay of Naples. The land surface 
around the Bay is covered with detached conical hills which are 
extinct voleanoes. Many of these have not been in action 
during the historical period, and consequently our knowledge 
of them is confined to what their structure teaches. Of one, 
however, Monte Nuevo, we have a complete history, and it 
serves as a good illustration of a rapidly formed volcano which 
has not been in activity since. For two years previous to the 
28th of September, 1538, the district around Puzzuoli had 
been continuously visited by earthquakes. On the 27th of 
September, the shocks became much more severe, and cracks 
appeared in the earth, out of which water poured; at first cold 
and afterwards tepid. What followed is well related by Pietro 
Giacomo di Toledo. 
“ At last, on the 29th of the same month, about two o’clock in the night, 
the earth opened near the lake, and discovered a horrid mouth, from which 
were vomited furiously smoke, fire, stones and mud, composed of ashes, 
making at the time of its opening a noise like the loudest thunder. 
Now this eruption lasted two nights and two days without intermission, 
though, it is true, not always with the same force ; the third day the eruption 
ceased, and I went up with my people to the top of the new hill and saw 
into its mouth.” t 
The history of Monte Nuevo may be thus summarised :—The 
eruption was preceded by earthquakes, which were relieved in 
their intensity when the earth opened, and volcanic activity 
commenced. This quite ceased after a period of two days and 
two nights, leaving a hill 440 feet high and half-a-mile in 
diameter. The volcano has not been in action since. At the 
present time it is a hill covered with vegetation, having at the 
top a hollow depression which is the mouth of the crater. 
* United States Geol. Survey, Fourth Annual Report, p. 114, 1881-83. 
+ Compi Phlegrei, p. 77. Also Lyell’s Principles of Geology, p. 368, 
ninth edition, 1853. 
