8 REPORT—1850. 
μυχίους σήραγγας αὐτῆς, ἔξεδρον γενόμενον ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων ToTOY, 
πολλὰ μέρη συνεκράδανεν. Ἰ]ολλάκις δὲ πολὺ γενόμενον ἔξωθεν 
ἐγκατειλήθη τοῖς ταύτης κοιλώμασι; καὶ ἀποκλεισθὲν ἐξόδου μετὰ βίας 
αὐτὴν συνετίναξε, ζητοῦν ἔξοδον ἑαυτῷ, καὶ ἀπειργάσατο πάθος τοῦτο, 
ὃ καλεῖν εἰώθαμεν σεισμόν" τῶν δὲ σεισμῶν, οἱ μὲν εἰς πλάγια σείοντες 
κατ᾽ ὀξείας γωνίας. ἐπικλίνται καλοῦνται" οἱ δὲ ἄνω ῥιπτοῦντες, καὶ 
κάτω Kat ὀρθὰς γωνίας, βράσται" οἱ δὲ συνηζήσεις ποιοῦντες εἰς τὰ 
κοῖλα, χασματίαι" οἱ δὲ χάσματα ἀνοίγοντες, καὶ γῆν ἀναῤῥηγνύντες, 
ῥῆκται καλοῦνται. Τούτων δὲ, οἱ μὲν, καὶ πνεῦμα προσαναβάλλουσιν" 
οἱ δὲ, πέτρας" οἱ δὲ, πηλόν᾽ οἱ δὲ, πηγὰς φαίνουσι τὰς πρότερον οὐκ 
οὔσας" τινὲς δὲ, ἀνατρέποντες κἄτὰ μίαν πρόωσιν, ods καλοῦσιν ὥστας" 
οἱ δὲ ἀναπάλλοντες, καὶ ταῖς εἰς ἑκάτερον ἐγκλίσεσι Kal ἀναπάλσεσι 
διορθοῦντες ἀεὶ τὸ σειόμενον, παλματίαι λέγονται, τρόμῳ πάθος ὅμοιον 
ἀπεργαζόμενοι."---ἰ Ἀριστοτέλους, περὶ Koopov, ἹΚεφάλαιον & Ἔ, 
Such are Aristotle’s facts and opinions. The main difficulty of mastering 
his views, consists in the interpretation we put upon the word πνεῦμα. It is 
very difficult to discover whether by it he means, simply the wind, or some 
“ universal life of the world,” the expansive efforts of elastic gases, or merely 
some unknown force beneath, that which Humboldt calls “the reaction of 
the interior of a planet upon its exterior.” I incline to adopt the latter view. 
The doctrines of the eloquent Seneca are next in ancient importance; they 
have been well said by Humboldt to contain the germ of almost everything 
that has been advanced in modern times as to volcanic action in its large sense. 
“Tdeoque antequam terra moveatur, solet mugitus audiri, ventis in abdito 
tumultuantibus: nec enim aliter posset, ut ait noster Virgilius, 
‘Sub pedibus mugire solum, et juga celsa moveri,’ 
nisi hoc esset ventorum opus. Vices deinde hujus pugne sunt; desinit ca- 
lidi congregatio, ac rursus eruptio, Tune frigida compescuntur et succe- 
dunt, mox futura potentiora. Dum ergo alterna vis cursat, et ultro citroque 
spiritus commeat, terra concutitur.”—Senec. Natur. Quest., lib. vi. 13. 
“Quidam ita existimant. Terra multis locis perforata est, nec tantum 
primos illos aditus habet, quos velut spiramenta ab initio sui recepit, sed 
multos illic casus imposuit. Alicubi diduxit, quidquid superne terreni erat, 
aqua: alia torrentes exedere, illa zstibus magnis dirupta patuere, Per hee 
intervalla intrat spiritus: quem si inclusit mare, et altius adegit, nee fluctus 
retro abire permisit, tunc ille exitu simul redituque pracluso, volutatur. Et 
quia in rectum non potest tendere, quod illi naturale est, in sublime se in- 
tendit, et terram prementem diverberat. 
“Etiam nune dicendum est, quod plerisque auctoribus placet, et in quod 
fortasse fiet discessio. Non esse terram sine spiritu, palam est. Non tantum 
illo dico, quo se tenet, ac partes sui jungit, qui inest etiam saxis mortuisque 
corporibus ; sed illo dico vitali, et vegeto, et alente omnia. Hune nisi ha- 
beret, quomodo tot arbustis spiritum infunderet, non aliunde viventibus, et 
tot satis? Quemadmodum tam diversas radices, aliter atque aliter in se 
mersas foveret, quasdam summa receptas parte, quasdam altius tractas, nisi 
multum haberet anime, tam wmulta, tam varia generantis, et haustu atque 
alimento suo educantis? Levibus adhuc argumentis ago. Totum hoc celum, 
quod igneus ether, mundi summa pars, claudit, omnes he stella, quarum 
inveniri non potest numerus, omnis hic ccelestium ceetus, et, ut alia preeter- 
* See note at end. 
