ASCENT OF VESUVIUS, 1834 



evening, when it commenced to exhibit some evidences 

 of its real nature. The vapory cloud which shrouded its 

 summit was then bright with the light reflected from the 

 crater; and there were ejections, yet not very frequent, 

 of melted lava and heated cinders, to a considerable height 

 in the air. The succeeding day, owing to the eclipsing 

 light of the sun, it again assumed a non-volcanic aspect. 

 But at night the eruptions were seen to occur every five 

 or eight minutes. It was the following night that with a 

 party of the officers of the ship I ascended the mount. 

 At Resina, near the foot of the mountain, we were pro- 

 vided by Salvatore Madonna, the principal cicerone for 

 this excursion, with the necessary equipments, guides, 

 horses or jacks, and torches ; and in suits of clothes for 

 the occasion. About an hour after sunset we commenced 

 the ascent. 



' We had selected the night for the excursion, because 

 at that time the lava can exhibit more clearly its own 

 light, and also to view the rising sun, a splendid sight, as 

 we had been informed, heightened as it is by the beauti- 

 ful surrounding scenery. With but the light of our 

 torches I could not of course examine the nature of the 

 soil over which we were passing. When descending in 

 the morning, I observed that our road ran along a strip 

 of land, elevated above the general level of the side hill, 

 and therefore inaccessible to the lava coming in this 

 direction, which would naturally take its course in the 

 valley to one side of it. This elevated land, named 

 Monte Canteroni, may be considered as connecting Som- 

 ma with the cone of Vesuvius. It is intersected by three 

 valleys, the most northerly of which, Vallone della Vet- 

 rana, received the current of lava of 1785. For a consider- 

 able distance there were cultivated fields and vineyards 

 on either side of our road. Part of the way it was cut 

 through a bank of pebbles and sand. A ride of five miles 

 brought us to the Hermitage, situated on the top of 

 Monte Canteroni, a usual place of recruit for travellers, 

 indeed a half-way house. Not wishing to ascend imme- 

 diately, we rested here for three hours. At 2 A.M. we 

 again mounted our horses, and in half an hour reached 

 the foot of the cone. 



" Since leaving the Hermitage vegetation grew more 

 and more scanty as we proceeded, and then we found but 



24 369 



