hark days of Canada. 241 



was ejected from the Souffrier mountain of St. Vincents on 

 the 30tli of April 1812 ; to the extraordinary swell of the 

 sea which preceded tlic appearances which took place on the 

 2d of July, 1814; to the blucish white flame of the lights and 

 fires mentioned by Capt. Payne ; to the strong smell which 

 was perceived in the air, and which, without aflecting the 

 eyes, produced violent head ache ; and to the shower of 

 sand mentioned by the Orticers wlio were on board the 

 Sir jyillitan Ileathcotl. 



These facts ai)pear to nie to render it necessary to impute 

 the phenomena of the dark days of Canada to volcanic 

 action — and to indicate strongly the existence of a volcano 

 (not yet extinct) in the Labrador territory. An inference 

 which is strengthened by these considerations, viz : That 

 on the second of July, the Bay of Seven Islands and Cape 

 Chat were enveloj)cd in the darkness of that day by a 

 northerly wind, and that on the third of July, while the 

 weather was clear at Ca[)c Chat, the Bay of Seven I^^lands, 

 and that part of the Atlantic Ocean which lies iu latitude 

 45', 50", north, and longitude 53', 12", west, (the position 

 of the P/iwuix on that day) were cnveloj)cd in similar 

 darkness by " a westerli/ wind with some northing ;'^ for if 

 a map of the gulf of St Lawrence and the adjacent coasts 

 be inspected, and the position of Captain Payne's ship, of 

 the Sir H'^illiam Jleal/tcott, transport, and her consort, 

 and of the Plio:nix be considered, it will be evident that 

 the wind as well on the second as on the third of July, 

 traversed the Labrador territory, producing in two ditfer- 

 cnt directions from that territory, the same elfects. 



The existence of volcanoes in the north of I'^urope, parti- 

 cularly Ilccla and Jan Mayen, aflurds ground for tlx* belief, 

 that volcanoes may also be f«jiind to exist iu the north of the 



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