Notice of Vesuvius. 



243 



that island, must be entirely hopeless. Even on the island of Ma- 

 deira itself, it can be produced only on the southern side. Its flavor 

 is owing chiefly to two causes, the peculiar nature of the soil, and 

 the remarkably uniform temperature of the climate* : here too, the 

 vineyards unless supplied with cuttings from another part of the isl- 

 and, would be in danger of speedily deteriorating. Indeed, in our 

 cold climate, and with our soil, every effort to produce more than 

 grapes for our table must produce disappointment, unless we can do 

 something with our own hardier grape. And such, I believe has 

 already been the experience both in Pennsylvania, and in the States 



further west. 



* 



Naples, October 5, 1832. 



I have visited all the places of interest here, among them the 

 Grotto del Cane and Mt. Vesuvius, and cannot tell you how much 

 I have been gratified. Vesuvius is quite different from what I ex- 

 pected to find it. I ascended it in company with our friend Johnson, 

 and while we were on the lip of the crater, we had several explo- 

 sions of ashes and red hot stones — a sight which visiters now have 

 not often the pleasure of seeing. The stones were thrown to a height 

 of two hundred feet, and came rattling around us in a manner that, 

 at the moment, was any thing but agreeable. There was an eruption 

 in August, and the crater and sides of the mountain still presented 

 the appearance that they do on such an occasion, with the exception 

 that the lava was cold and black. There are now strong indications 

 of another approaching eruption ; the mountain frequently trembles, 

 it sends up quantities of white smoke, and the springs around it are 

 dried up. At night we have lately had some brilliant sights ; but it 

 is scarcely probable that we shall be here long enough to see the 

 conclusion. 



Monday morning, Oct. 15. — I mentioned on my last sheet, that I 

 had just been up the mountain, a second time, with the Commodore 



* Dr. Gourley, a resident at Madeira, after eighteen years' observations, gives the 



following as the mean temperature : 



January, .... 64°.18 ] July, 



February, 



March, 



April, 



May, 



June, 



64.03 

 65.08 

 65.05 

 66.53 

 69.74 



August, 

 September, 



October, 



November, 



December, 



Average or mean of the year, 68 



73.45 



75.02 

 75.76 

 72.50 

 69.08 

 65.00 



90. 



