Natural Hist or j^. 417 



height, and was still in full action ; in passing to leeward of it, 

 nearly six miles distant, some of the clouds burst over the Sa- 

 brina, and covered the ship with sand and ashes, so as to oblige 

 the ladies to leave the deck ; another grand explosion took 

 place about four p.m., and at six a repetition. During the night 

 the volcano was pretty quiet ; at intervals streams of fire were 

 discernible, but it coming on to blow hard from the N.W., we 

 were obliged to keep a good offing ; at day-light the next 

 morning we returned to Ponta Delgada. Since the 22d the 

 eruptions have entirely ceased ; a strong smoke, however, con- 

 tinues to issue from the centre of the crater, which is still boil- 

 ing, and the water of the sea is perfectly warm, at the distance 

 of more than half a mile from the island. Several persons 

 have landed on the island, but found the ground so hot as 

 to oblige them to re-embark immediately ; had the eruption 

 continued much longer, in all probability a safe harbour would 

 have been formed between the volcano and the Bahia dos Mos- 

 teyros. About a century ago, an eruption broke out on the 

 land, which burnt for several months. The extinct crater is 

 composed of lava, pumice, and calcined earth and sand, which, 

 having been in a state of fusion, resembles the dross of ore. 



6. Height of Monte Rosa. — Sir : Allow me to correct an error 

 which appears in the last Number of your Journal. In page 196, 

 the height of Monte Rosa is said to be 4521.77 metres, or 33,530 

 feet. As this would vastly exceed even the Himalaya mountains, 

 I was induced to repeat the calculation.The tables give me 

 the French metre equal to 39.371 inches and 3281 feet: I 

 have calculated *it both ways, and obtained the same result, 

 namely, 14,836 feet English. 



7. New Island off Cape Horn. — A new island has been dis- 

 covered off Capo Morn, in lat. 61°, long. 55°, by the ship Wil- 

 liam, on a voyage from Monte Video to Valparaiso. The same 

 ship having been despatched by Capt. Sheriff, of the Andromache 

 frigate, to survey the coast, explored it for 200 miles. The 

 Captain went on shore, and found it covered with snow, and un- 



VoL. IX. 2 D 



