March 9, 1893} 



NATURE 



4S3 



the mainland. Mr. Peary has no theories, and expects' to have 

 to modify his plans according to circumstances. He expects to 

 reach higher latitudes than have previously been attained, but 

 has no sentimental views as to reaching the pole. The whole 

 of the expense of the expedition he hopes to defray by his 

 lectures and the book describing his last year's experience, 

 which will be published in June. 



O^ 



STROMBOLI.^ 



)N June 24, 1891, an earthquake and volcanic explosion 

 took place, followed by another shock on June 30. Some 

 days after, the authors spent three days at Stromboli, and sub- 

 sequently studied at their homes the materials they collected. 



The paper commences with a description of the island, which 

 not only adds nothing to what has already been published, but 

 is inferior to what has been described by others. Mention is 

 made of many changes during the last century, but great care 

 is taken not to mention several writers who have described and 

 illustrated the changes during the last few years. The writer, who 

 was the first to photograph the crater of Stromboli, and has 

 since published new photographs, is not even referred to, yet 

 those photos are the best so far published of the volcano. It is 

 regretable to see the frequency with which Prof. Mercalli quotes 

 himself to the exclusion of several of his own countrymen, and 

 especially foreigners. Since 1887, the single crater has been re- 

 placed by a number of cones which, according to the authors, 

 are the same as those of 1889. I myself visited the crater in 

 1889, and those in the plates of this paper are very different in 

 situation, which I can confirm by photos in my possession. The 

 matter is of little importance, but more care should be shown in 

 such statements. Those who have a good practical experience 

 of active volcanoes know how often, from day to day these 

 central conettes change. 



The shock of the present eruption was quite local and was 

 unobserved at Lipari. It was much more violent on the upper 

 part of the mountain than lower dowp, and the authors reason- 

 ably conclude that the explosion was limited to the actual 

 crater. Several landslips occurred on the crumbling slopes of 

 the island. A column of vapour and lumps of incandescent 

 lava were ejected to a level with the summit of the island, that 

 is for a height of 225 m. Dust and lapilli were spread over 

 the island though not to any great amount. Lava immediately 

 began to flow from a short rift. 



On June 30, another shock occurred, sufficiently strong 

 to disturb the Milne seismoscopes of Lipari. After the usual 

 ejection of lava cakes, lapilli, stones, &c., another lava stream 

 started from a point near the eastern mouths. By July 6, 

 when the authors visited the crater, the excessive activity 

 had so diminished that no more lapilli or dust was being ejected. 

 Three currents of lava flowed down the Sciarra to the sea, and 

 as one divided into two branches, four reefs were formed at the 

 water-line which it appears are being rapidly swept away by 

 the waves. 



The microscopic and chemical examination of the lava shows 

 it to be a basalt verging on an andesite with 50 per cent, of SiO^, 

 with a little more potash than soda. The scoria ejecta resemble 

 the lava in composition, except so far as their different rate of cool- 

 ing modifies them. Besides the essential, some accessory ejecta 

 were thrown out, which were old fumarolised materials from the 

 new crater walls. The dust, or ashes, as the authors call it, 

 was partly composed of black vitreous particles and glass fibres 

 mixed with a brownish powder from the trituration of older 

 volcanic materials. 



No relation was found to exist between the eruptive spasm 

 of Stromboli with several earthquakes that occurred before and 

 after. A list of known eruptions of Stromboli are given, but it 

 is a most imperfect one ; for example the eruption of 1768, 

 which was actually figured by Sir William Hamilton in his 

 masterly work, is not even referred to, although lava not only 

 issued from the crater, but also from a lateral opening on the 

 western side of the Stromboli, and also was the first recorded 

 issue of lava from this volcano. This list is more complete of 

 late years, there being no less than fourteen eruptions fro m 

 1879 to i888. Prof. Mercalli thinks there is a sympathetic 



• "Soprail peril odo eruttivo dello Stromboli cominciato il 34 Guigno, 

 ; 91." By A. Ricca and G. Mercalli. Con appendice dell" Ing. S. 

 Vvcidiacono. Ann. d. Ufficio C. Met. e Geodimmico ser. sec, pt. iii. 

 )!. xi. 1889. (Paper printed 1893.) 



action between the" bvitbursls of Stromboli antj fttna, and -abo 

 the seismic foci of South Italy. He likewise finds a faint 

 relationship between the position of the sun and mooa wben in 

 opposition and conjunction but not with barometric pressure, 

 but says that the daily variation in activity may so be related, 

 as stated by the inhabitants. 



H. J. Johnston-Lavis. 



FORTHCOMING SCIENTIFIC BOOKS. 



W 



NO. I 2 19, VOL. 47] 



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