Vesuvius. 867 



Paul's alone, it was the spontaneous gratitude of all 

 ranks and all faiths throughout the three kingdoms 

 that were offered up to God that morning; the 

 people sympathized with their Queen, and no 

 sovereign more deserves sympathy. 



* * 



Vesuvius has exhibited a considerable activity 

 during the winter and early spring, and frequent 

 streams of lava flowed from the crater, and especially 

 from the small cone to the north, a little way below 

 the principal crater. But these streams were small 

 and intermittent, and no great outbreak was ex- 

 pected. On the 24th April a stream of lava induced 

 us to drive in the evening to Santa Lucia. The 

 next night, Thursday, 25th April, my daughter 

 Martha, who had been to the theatre, wakened me 

 that I might see Vesuvius in splendid eruption. This 

 was at about 1 o'clock on Friday morning. Early 

 in the morning I was disturbed by what I thought 

 loud thunder, and when my maid came at 7 a.m. I 

 remarked that there was a thunder storm, but she 

 said, " No, no ; it is the mountain roaring." It must 

 have been very loud for me to hear, considering my 

 deafness, and the distance Vesuvius is from Naples, 

 yet it was nothing compared to the noise later in 

 the day, and for many days after. My daughter, 

 who had gone to Santa Lucia to see the eruption 



