66 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



derslanding the account which 

 follows ; for no one living can ex- 

 pect to see it again in the per- 

 fection and beauty in which it was 

 on Sunday, the 26th instant. 



About 2,000 feet from the level 

 of the sea (calculating from con- 

 jecture), on the south side of the 

 mountain, and rather more than 

 two-thirdsof its height, opens acir- 

 cular chasm, somewhat exceeding 

 half a mile in diameter, and be- 

 tween 4 and 500 feet in depth : ex- 

 actly in the centre of this capacious 

 bowl, rose a conical hill about 260 

 or 300 feet in height, and about 

 200 feet in diameter, richly cover- 

 ed and variegated with shrubs, 

 brushwood, and vines, above half- 

 way up, and for the remainder 

 powdered over with virgin sulphur 

 to the top. From the fissures in 

 the cone and interstices of the 

 rocks, a thin white smcke was 

 constantly emitted, occasionally 

 tinged with a slight blueish flame. 

 The precipitous sides of this mag- 

 nificent amphitheatre were fringed 

 with various evergreens, and aro- 

 matic shrubs, flowers, and many 

 Alpine plants. On the north and 

 south sides of the base of the cone 

 were two pieces of water, one per- 

 fectly pure and tasteless, the other 

 strongly impregnated with sulphur 

 and alum. This lonely and beau- 

 tiful spot was rendered more en- 

 chanting by the singularly melodi- 

 ous notes of a bird, an inhabitant of 

 these upper solitudes, and altoge- 

 ther unknown to the other parts of 

 the island : hence principally call- 

 ed, or supposed to be, invisible : 

 though it certainly has been seen, 

 and is a species of the merle. 



A century had now elapsed since 

 thelast convulsion of the mountain, 

 or since any other elements had 



disturbed the serenity of this wil- 

 derness than those which are com- 

 mon to the tropical tempest. It 

 apparently slumbered in primeval 

 solitude and tranquillity, and 

 from the luxuriant vegetation and 

 growth of the forest which co- 

 vered its sides from the base 

 nearly to the summit, seemed to 

 discountenance the fact, and falsify 

 the records of the ancient volcano. 

 Such was the majestic, peaceful 

 Souifrier on April the 27th; but 

 we trod on " ignoti repositum ci- 

 nerifl?o/o5o," and our imaginary safe- 

 ty was soon to be confounded by 

 the sudden danger of devastation. 

 Just as the plantation bells rang 

 twelve at noon on Monday the 

 27th, an abrupt and dreadful crash 

 from the mountain, with a severe 

 concussion of the earth, and tre- 

 mulous noise in the air, alarmed 

 all around it. The resurrection of 

 this fiery furnace was proclaimed 

 in a moment by a vast column of 

 thick, black, ropey smoke, like 

 that of an immense glass-house, 

 bursting forth at once, and mount- 

 ing to the sky, showering down 

 sand, with gritty calcined parti- 

 cles of earth and favillae mixed, on 

 all below. This driven before the 

 "Aind towards Wallibon and Morne 

 Ronde, darkened the air like a ca- 

 taract of rain, and covered the 

 ridges, woods, and cane-piecSs 

 with light grey-coloured ashes, re- 

 sembling snow when slightly co- 

 vered by dust. As the eruption 

 increased, this continual shower 

 expanded, destroying every appear- 

 ance of vegetation. At night a 

 very considerable degree of igni- 

 tion was observed on the lips of 

 the crater; but it is not asserted 

 that there was as yet any visible 

 ascension of flame. The same 



awful 



