NATURAL HISTORY. 



4S7 



face of the clilf, about fifty yards 

 on our left, falling, which it did 

 with a violent crush. So soon as 

 our first consternation had a little 

 subsided, we removed about tenor 

 a dozen yards farther from the 

 edge of the cliff, and finished our 

 dinner. 



On the succeeding day, June 

 15th, having the consul and some 

 other friends on board, I weighed, 

 and proceeded with the ship towards 

 the volcano, with the intention of 

 witnessing a night view ; but in 

 this expectation we were greatly 

 disappointed, from the wind fresh- 

 ening and the weather becoming 

 thick and hazy, and also i'rom the 

 volcano itself being clearly more 

 quiescent than it was the preceding 

 daj-. It seldom emitted any light- 

 ning, but occasionally as much 

 flame as may be seen to issue from 

 the top of a glass-house, or foundery 

 chimney. 



On passing directly under the 

 great cloud of smoke, about three 

 or four miles distant from the vol- 

 cano, the decks of the ship were 

 jcovered with fine black ashes, 

 which fell intermixed with small 

 rain. We returned the next 

 morning, and late on the evening 

 of the same day, I took my leave 

 of St. Michael's to complete my 

 cruize. 



On opening the volcano clear of 

 the N.W. part of the island, after 

 dark on the 16th, we witnessed 

 one or two eruptions that, had the 

 ship been near enough, would have 

 be>;n awfully grand. It appeared 

 one continued blaze of lightning ; 

 but the distance which it was at 

 from the ship, tipwards of twenty 

 miles, prevented our seeing it with 

 effect. 



Heturning again towards St, Mi- 



chael's on the 4th of July, I was 

 obliged, by the state of the wind, 

 to pass with the ship very close to 

 thfi island, which was now com- 

 pletely formed by the volcano, 

 being nearly the height of Matlock 

 High Tor, al>out eight}' yards above 

 the sea. At this time it was per- 

 fectly tranquil, which circumstance 

 determined me to land, and explore 

 it more narrovvh-. 



I left the ship in one of the 

 boats, accompanied by some of the 

 officers. As we approached, we 

 perceived it was still smoking in 

 many parts, and upon our reaching- 

 tht island found the surf on the 

 beach very high. Rowing round 

 to the lee side, with some little 

 difficulty, by the aid of an oar, asa 

 pole, I jumped on shore, and was 

 followed by the other officeRs, We 

 found a narrow beach of black 

 ashes, from which the side of the 

 island rose in general too steep to 

 admit of our ascending; and wnere 

 we could have clambered up, the 

 mass of matter was much too hot 

 to allow our proceeding more than 

 a few yards in the ascent. 



The declivity below the surface 

 of the sea was equally steep, having 

 seven fathoms water, scarce the 

 boHt's length from the shore, and 

 at the distance of twenty or thirty 

 yards we sounded twenty-five 

 fathoms. 



From walking round it, in about 

 twelve minutes, I shouldjudge that 

 it was something less than a mile 

 in circumference; but the most 

 extraordinary part was the crater, 

 the mouth of which, on the side 

 facin;^- St Michael's, was nearly 

 level with the sea. It was filled 

 with water, at that time boiling, 

 and was emptying itself into the 

 ita, by a small streun) about six 



yards 



