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LXXXVII. intelligence and Miscellajieous Articles, 



A. FUESH eruption has taken place from Mount ^tna, 

 which is thus related in the French Journals : — " On the 

 27th of October, several mouths opened on the eastern side 

 of the uiOLintain ; ib.cse openings, situate almost in the 

 game line, and at equal distances, presented to the eye a 

 spectacle the most imposing — torrents of burning matter, 

 discharged with, the greatest force from the interior ot the 

 volcano, illuminated the horizon to a great distance. One 

 of these apertures was a considerable distance from all the 

 others. The former was about 300 toises beneath the crater, 

 and about one mile from the point called Gamel Laco : five 

 others were situate in a line in the direction of the Valley 

 of Oxen (del Bove). The eruption of these last five lasted 

 the whole night ; an immense quantity of matter was dis- 

 charged from them, which was d:iven to a considerable di- 

 stance. They however ceased the following day to cast forth 

 any lava. The first aperture continued s'Jll, on the 15th 

 of November, to emit torrents of fire; and even at the 

 time when this mouth had the appearance of being stopped, 

 there suddenly issued from it' clouds of ashes, v.hich de- 

 scended in the form of rain upon the; city of Catana and its 

 environs, and upon the fields situate at a very great distance. 

 The current of the lava was still very slov/, inasmuch as in 

 the space of nine days it had scarcely passed over three miles, 

 and had only reached the rock called della Capra (the 

 Goats). A roaring resembling that of the sea in the 

 midst of a tempest was heard in the interior of the mount- 

 ain. This sound, accompained from time to time with 

 dreadful explosions resembling thunder, reechoed through- 

 out the valleys, and spread terror on every side. Such was 

 the state and situation of Mount ^Etna on the 18th ult. 

 The eruption still continued, and caused a dread of the 

 most terrible disasters." 



NEW COMET. 



" Imperial Observatory, Paris, Dec. 9,1811. 



" A new comet has just been seen in the constellation of 

 Eridanus — it was seen by M. Pons at Marseilles on the I6lh 

 ult. The thick weather did not permit its being seen at 

 Paris before the 3th instant ; on that day, at 1 1 hours 1 mi- 

 nute of mean time, its right ascension was 6i. 23, and the 

 declination 13. 34. S. The apparent motion of the comet 

 in right ascension is retrograde and very slow, and the mo- 

 tion in declination carries it towards the northern hemi- 



V«l. 38. No, lG4. D«c. 181 1. Gg sphere. 



