VESUVIUS. 187 



Of late, Vesuvius has been as busy as ever. In 

 1833 and 1834 there were eruptions; and in 1856 

 another great outburst took place. Then, for three 

 weeks together, lava streamed down the mountain 

 slopes. A river of molten lava swept away the village 

 of Cercolo, and ran nearly to the sea at Ponte Madda- 

 loni. There were then formed ten small craters within 

 the great one. But these have now united (see date 

 of article), and pressure from beneath has formed a vast 

 cone where they had been. The cone has risen above 

 the rim of the crater, from which torrents of lava are 

 poured forth. At first the lava formed a lake of fire, 

 but the seething mass found an outlet, and poured in a 

 wide stream towards Ottajano. Masses of red-hot 

 stone and rock are hurled forth, and a vast canopy of 

 white vapour hangs over Vesuvius, forming at night, 

 when illuminated by the raging mass below, a glory of 

 resplendent flame around the summit of the mountain. 



It may seem strange that the neighbourhood of so 

 dangerous a mountain should be inhabited by races free 

 to choose more peaceful districts. Yet, though Hercu- 

 laneum, Pompeii, and Stabiae lie buried beneath the lava 

 and ashes thrown forth by Vesuvius, Portici and Eesina, 

 Torre del Greco and Torre dell' Annunziata have taken 

 their place ; and a large population, cheerful and pros- 

 perous, flourishes around the disturbed mountain, and 

 over the district of which it is the somewhat untrust- 

 worthy safety-valve. 



It has, indeed, been well pointed out by Sir Charles 

 Lyell that ' the general tendency of subterranean move- 



