502 LECTURE LVII. 



was thrown into the sea, that it raised an immense wave, which carried oft* 

 more than 2000 inhabitants who were collected on the beach, and even 

 extended its formidable effects to the opposite coast of Sicily, where several 

 persons perished by it in a similar manner. 



The eruptions of volcanos are usually attended by some shocks like those 

 of earthquakes, although commonly less violent. Open volcanos con- 

 tinually throw out, in more or less abundance, smoke, ashes, and pumice 

 stones, or light cinders ; but their most formidable effects are produced by 

 a torrent of ignited lava, which, like a vast deluge of liquid or semiliquid 

 fire, lays waste the country over which it runs, and buries all the works of 

 human art. In March, 1767, Vesuvius began to throw out a considerable 

 quantity of ashes and stones, which raised its summit in the course of the 

 year no less than 200 feet, forming first a little mountain of pumice stones 

 within the crater, which by degrees became visible above its margin. The 

 smoke, which was continually emitted, was rendered luminous at night, by 

 the light derived from the fire burning below it. In August some lava had 

 broken through this mountain, and in September it had filled the space 

 left between it and the former crater. On the 13th and 14th of October 

 there were heavy rains, which perhaps supplied the water concerned in the 

 eruption that shortly followed. On the morning of the 19th, clouds of 

 smoke were forced, in continual succession, out of the mouth of the vol- 

 cano, forming a mass like a large pine tree, which was lengthened into an 

 arch, and extended to the island of Caprea, 28 miles off ; it was accom- 

 panied by much lightning, and by an appearance of meteors like shooting 

 stars. A mouth then opened below the crater, and discharged a stream of 

 lava, which Sir William Hamilton ventured to approach within a short 

 distance, imagining that the violence of the confined materials must have 

 been exhausted ; but on a sudden the mountain opened with a great noise 

 at a much lower point, about a quarter of a mile from the place where he 

 stood, and threw out a torrent of lava, which advanced straight towards 

 him, while he was involved in a shower of small pumice stones and ashes, 

 and in a cloud of smoke. The force of the explosions was so great, that 

 doors and windows were thrown open by them at the distance of several 

 miles : the stream of lava was in some places two miles broad, and 60 or 

 70 feet deep ; it extended about six miles from the summit of the moun- 

 tain, and remained hot for several weeks. In 1794 a still more violent 

 eruption occurred : it was expected by the inhabitants of the neighbour- 

 hood, the crater being nearly filled, and -the water in the wells having 

 subsided. Showers of immense stones were projected to a great height ; 

 and ashes were thrown out so copiously, that they were very thick at 

 Taranto, 250 miles off ; some of them also were wet with salt water. A 

 heavy noxious vapour, supposed to be carbonic acid, issued in many places 

 from the earth, and destroyed the vineyards in which it was suffered to 

 remain stagnant. A part of the town of Torre del Greco was overwhelmed 

 by a stream of lava, which ran through it into the sea ; yet notwithstand- 

 ing the frequency of such accidents, the inhabitants had so strong, a predi- 

 lection for their native spot, that they refused the offer of a safer situation 

 for rebuilding their houses. 



