Singular Geological Appearance. 7 1 



duced a grand effect on the black dense smoke of the volcano; the 

 rocks thrown up were red hot, and caused a hissing noise on 

 falling into the sea, which was distinctly heard at intervals, when 

 the subterraneous thunder ceased : part of the cliff, on whose 

 banks we were seated, fell into the sea, from the shock of an 

 earthquake, and obliged us to make a precipitate retreat for fear 

 of a repetition. At five o'clock we quitted this awful scene with 

 reluctance; nothing could exceed the gratification felt by all 

 parties : on our road to the city we had frequent opportunities 

 of observing the damages done by the earthquakes : many cot- 

 tages were entirely thrown down, and others totally uninhabita- 

 ble ; the roads were choked and almost impassable, from the hills 

 having fallen in upon them in various places. On the following 

 day, Captain Tillard being anxious to have a view of the volcano 

 from the ship, he invited a party to take an excursion by water, 

 and I had the pleasure of making one. On rounding the west 

 end of the island, we found that the volcano during the night had 

 increased to a mountain, nearly conical, whose base formed al- 

 most an equilateral triangle, so that within the space of a ^&\\' 

 liours it had increased upwards of 600 feet in height, and was 

 still in full action : in passing to leeward of it, nearly six miles 

 distant, some of the clouds burst over the Sabrina, 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 

 ofBng ; at day-light the next morning we returned to Ponta Del- 

 gada. Since the 22d the eruptions have entirely ceased; a 

 strong smoke, however, continues to issue from the centre of the 

 crater, which is still boiling, 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 Bahiados 

 Mosteyros. 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 dix)ss of ore. 



SINGULAR GEOI.OGrCAL APPEARANCE, 



M. Paiissot de Beauvois has actjuaintcd the Uoyal Academy 

 of Sciences at Paris with a rather singular geolnffjcal appearance, 

 which he observed in the county of Ruwau in North Carolina. 

 Tlicre is found, in the middle of a hill formed of very find sand, 



mixed 



