136 Account of a Defceni 



Difregarding the terror with which the Neapolitans en- 

 deavoured to infpirc us, after having received their adieus, as 

 if our fcparation had been hkely to be eternal, we fcl out in 

 a carriage, at half after eleven at night, on the l8th of July, 

 from the hotel of the French anibafTador, fonrteen in num- 

 ber, farnifliv;d with roiies and other articles which we fup- 

 pofed might be necelVarv, and all in a (late of the Ingheft 

 fpiriis, which never, forfook us, even at times of the mod 

 imminent danger. We arrived about midniaht at the foot 

 of Vefuviu.-> , and, having quitted our carriage, mounted well 

 experienced mules, and proceeding one after the other, with 

 adjutant Dampierre at our head, amidft the thick darknefs of 

 niiihi, reached half w.iv to the Iteep fummit of the mountain. 

 We had a numerous body of guides, and their lighted torches 

 gave to our expedition a myfterious and folemn air, which 

 formed a hriking ccnaafi; with the mirth and gaiety of the 

 company. 



When wo had afcended about halfway, we were obliged 

 to alight, and lo clamber up the fieepeft and mod difficult 

 part of Veiuvius, wading through the a{hes up to the knees, 

 till, evhaufled with fatigue, and covered with fweat, we 

 reached the futnmit at half paft two in the morning. 



The firll thing that ftruck us, as foon as the morning begaii 

 to dawn, was a moft magnificent fpeftacle — a fuperb view 

 of the city and port of JNaples, the beautiful hills which fur- 

 round them, and the vaft extent of the fea by which they 

 are waflied. After walking round part of the aperture of the 

 volcano, that we might choole the moll commodious place 

 for defcending, adjutant Dampierre and C. W^ickar firft 

 defccudi-d, without any accident, at the determined point. 

 When thev had got about a third of the way they were fud- 

 denly ftopped by an excavation of fifty feet, which it was 

 necelfary to pafs. As they found that it was impoflible to ob- 

 taiiiany fixed point of fupport on afhcs fo moveable ; and 

 being convinced that the tri&ion of ropes would have foon 

 deftroyed both the point of fupport and the neighbouring 

 mafles to a great dif^ance, they refolved to return. Bcfidcs, 

 while d. liberal ino- on the means of defcendino- feme (loncs 

 rolling down from the funmiit occafioned a general agitation 

 wiierever thev pafTed : adjutant Dampierre found the ground 

 on which he itood fliake beneath his feet; and he had icarccly 

 quitted -it, calling out to C. Wtckar to follow him, when it 

 difappearcd. Soon after, indeed, the whole place where they 

 had flood, and all the neighbouriuii; fmall eminences, crum- 

 bled down hu'cefijvelv in the courle of half an hour, and were 

 precipitated to the bottom of the crater with an awful noifc. 



. .' Before 



