Ble nk al 
' width of about twenty toises, forming a crown of fire. 
Encroachment of the Sea. 311 
For the 
two following days the eruption became more violent, and the 
boiling lava, which was filling the crater and threatening at every 
moment to break over its sides, was seen distinctly during the 
night. At length, on the 21st, the lava forced its way into the 
southern part of the mountain by a new opening, from which it 
flowed in great abundance. The flowing took its direction slowly 
(it ran a toise a minute) towards the hermitage of Saint Salvator. 
During the two following days the same phenomena succeeded, 
without interruption, but without any increase of force. Yester- 
day, towards ten o’clock in the morning, the violence of the erup- 
tion was suddenly redoubled. The lava, which continued flowing 
in the same direction, when it reached the territory of the Can- 
troni, turned its course towards the west, and precipitated itself 
into a valley.‘ In the evening Vesuvius presented to the inhabi- 
tants of Naples the superb spectacle of a river of fire, rolling down 
the skirts of the mountain, through clouds of smoke. A brilliant 
flame arose from the crater, and nothing. troubled this splendid 
evening, not even the fears and disasters which too often accom- 
pany this terrible phenomenon. This time the lava took its direc- 
tion through lands already burned and entirely desert, and no 
property appeared threatened with desolation. Vesuvius seems 
calm to-day, but a brilliant sun prevents us from discovering 
what is passing on the mountain.—Paris Paper. 
ENCROACHMEDT OF THE SEA. 
On the east coast of America the sea appears to encroach upon 
the land more and more from north to south. At Cape May, 
where the Delaware falls into the Atlantic Ocean, a house is built 
on the wall of which are inscribed the following important ob- 
servations :—= 
Distance of the sea from the house. 
Feet. Feet. 
bOOA is cn: Sat pgd HBB APIS 12) hry oo ae 
NBDE 943404 deter 266 H8RSPISLE cgi ayy). 4 285 
BOOT sntein ok rote DOA PSDP eye Of DS 
BGOB id; gail 2aod hr O7S4BISs ogga du ca. 204 
1GOO+: 1.3 view MatsenvckaFMslD’ . geery ys! 6. >oRss 
BBEL io aeindiged sult BEGH1B20! fey ong; 4880 
The inhabitants of the coast of Brazil say that they have made 
similar observations, but we have no particulars of them. There 
is a building at Ilheos, which was formerly at a good distance 
from the sea shore, but is now scarcely a hundred steps from the 
breakers, 
AFRICA, 
