New Volcano. 3-23 



arrived at Vcllas, the principal town, at eleven a. m. We 

 found the poor inhabitants perfectly panic-struck, and 

 wholly given up to religious ceremonies and devotion. Wc 

 learned that the fire of the 1st of May had broken out in a 

 diich, in the midst of fertile pastures, 3 leacrucs S. E. of 

 Vcllas, and had immediately formed a crater, in size about 

 24 acres. In tao days it had thrown out cinders or small 

 pumice stones, that a strong N E. wind had propelled 

 southerly — and which, independent of tlie mass accumu- 

 lated round the crater, had covered the earth from one foot 

 to four feet in depth, half a league in width, and three 

 leagues in length ; ihen passing the channel five leagues, 

 had done some uijury to the east point of Pico. The fire of 

 this large crater had nearly s^ubsided ; but in the evening pre- 

 ceding our arrival, another small crater had opened, one 

 league north of the large one, and only two leagues from 

 Velias. After taking some refreshment, we visited ihe se- 

 cond crater, the sulphurous smoke of which, driven souther- 

 ly, rendered it impracticable to attempt approaching the 

 large one. When we came within a mile of the crater, we 

 found the earth rent in every direction, and, as we ap- 

 proached nearer, some of the chasms were six feet wide : bv 

 leaping over some of these chasms, and making windings to 

 avoid the larger ones, we at length arrived within 'iOO vards 

 of the spot, and saw it in the middle of a pasture, distinctly, 

 at intervals, when the thick smoke which swept the earth 

 lighted up a little. The mouth of it was only about .50 

 vards in circumference : the fire seemed strujitdino- for vent , 

 the force with which a pale blue flame issued forth, resem- 

 bled a powerful steam-engine, multiplied a hundred fold ; 

 the noise was deafening, the earth where we stood had a tre- 

 mulous motion, the whole island seemed convulsed, horrid 

 bellowings were occasionally heard from the bowels of the 

 earth, and earthquakes were frequent. After remaining; here 

 aJ&out ten minutes, we returned to the town — the inhabitants 

 had mostly quitted their houses, and remained in the open 

 air or under tents. We passed the night at Vcllas, and tlir 

 next morning went by water to Ursulina, a small sea-porr 

 town, two leagues south of Vcllas, and viewed that part ot 

 X 3 the 



