Natural History. 193 



14. Geographical Prize. — The Geographical Society of Paris 

 has announced the following prizes. A medal of 3000 francs 

 value, under certain conditions, as an encouragement for travels ia 

 Africa, to be adjudged in 1826. — A medal of 1200 francs value, 

 on the subject, to ascertain the direction of the mountain-chains of 

 Europe, their ramifications, and successive elevations throughout 

 their whole extent, to be adjudged in 1825. — A medal of 1200 

 francs value, for researches on the origin of the various races of 

 man spread over the islands of the ocean to the south-east of 

 Asia. 



15. Eruption of a Mud Volcano in Sicily.' — An eruption of the 

 volcano of Terrapilata, in Sicily, which occurred in March, 1823, 

 was witnessed by D. Gregorio Barnaba La Via, who has described 

 it in a geological account of the neighbourhood of Caltanisetta. 



This volcano, not very different in its gaseous emanation from 

 the famous Macalubba of Girgenti, and always in action, at a 

 temperature of about 100° Fah. ; forms, from its erupted matter, 

 numerous small cones, from the centre of which, flow saline water, 

 mud, and hydrogen gas. The surrounding land is quite steril 

 presenting no traces of vegetation, from which circumstance, it 

 takes its name. The author understood, from well-informed per- 

 sons, that whenever Sicily has suffered from violent earthquakes, 

 a crack, from two to more inches in width, has been ob- 

 served commencing here ; which intersecting the country, termi- 

 nates under the Convent della Grazia, and to this is attributed the 

 safety of Caltanisetta, which has never suffered from these terrible 

 phenomena. 



On the 5th of May, 1823, whilst the north wind blew in strong 

 interrupted gusts, the sky being serene, a few dense clouds, ia 

 long pointed striae, appeared in the west ; the temperature was 

 5'^° Fah., when five shocks of an earthquake succeeded each other 

 in nine seconds, the first from below upwards, the others undu^' 

 latory. The author immediately went to the volcano of Terrapi- 

 lata, in company with the Duke of Villarosa, Luigi Barrile, and the 

 Abbate Salvalore Livolsi, all of whom had closely observed the 

 place since 1818. On arriving at the place, it was found that the 

 whole elevation was divided by numerous splits from ten inches to 

 one foot and a half in width ; that the small volcanoes were con- 

 siderably increased; and that instead of ejecting water, clay, and 

 hydrogen gas, as usual, some were throwing mud to the distance 

 of seven feet, with the emission of gas ; others only blew out hy- 

 drogen gas]; and others again, leaving a space of a foot in diameter, 

 and five feet deep, vibrated from that depth with the force of their 

 truptious. 



Having applied a torch to one of these whistling cones, immedi- 

 ately a blue flame, five Icet in height, arose, which would have 



Vol. XVIII. O 



