194 LIGHT SCIENCE FOR LEISURE HOURS. 



of the heat which prevails during eruption will be 

 readily gathered from the circumstance that in 

 January 1803 the enormous bed of snow which usually 

 covers the cone of the volcano was dissolved in a single 

 night. 



It would seem that the Mexican volcanoes also 

 belong to the same region of disturbance. Near the 

 Isthmus of Panama the great Cordillera of the Andes 

 is reduced to the height of about 800 feet, and be- 

 yond begins the continuation of the volcanic chain 

 in Central America and Mexico. Nor are the volcanoes 

 of the West Indian or Caribbee Islands wholly dis- 

 connected with the region of disturbance in Southern 

 America. And it is rather singular that even the 

 earthquakes which have occurred in the valley of the 

 Mississippi seem to be connected with the West Indian 

 and South American volcanic region. The violent 

 earthquakes which took place at New Madrid in 1812 

 occurred at exactly the same time as the earthquake 

 of Paranas, * so that it is possible,' says Sir Charles 

 Lyell, ' that these two points are part of one volcanic 



region.' 



(From the Daily News, September 18, 1868.) 



THE GREATEST SEA- WAVE EVER KNOWN. 



ON August 13, 1868, one of the most terrible calami- 

 ties which has ever visited a people befell the unfor- 

 tunate' inhabitants of Peru. In that land earthquakes 

 are nearly as common as rain-storms are with us ; 



