Volcanoes. 



Geological researches have proved that the cause of 

 volcanic eruptions is the leakage of water through the 

 earth's crust, a leakage which, bringing this element into- 

 contact with the incandescent bowels of the globe, 

 causes an accumulation of vaporous iorces striving to 

 escape. These being firmly resisted by the pressure of the 

 sea from above, force out streams of liquid lava in those 

 places of the crust which yield the most easily. Such 

 localities are porous and almost always mountainous, with 

 an earthy or sandy or lime-stone soil. Raised already 

 by nature they present less resistance to the movement 

 of these interior streams, and serve naturally as funnels 

 lor eruption of seismic discharges. 



If volcanoes met no opposition they would spread their 

 fiery streams over the whole earth and burn up terre- 

 strial vegetation, root and branch, and in this way would 

 put a stop to the natural and necessary exchange of matter 

 between the earth and the sun. To prevent such cos- 

 mic disaster the principal of reactio appears on the scene, 

 in the particular shape of perpetual barometrical mini- 

 mums over volcanic places, which induce prolific and 

 abundant rains, cooling the fiery surface, stopping the 

 fatal floods of lava and converting with salutary moisture 

 the dry ashes of the fires into nourishing manure, which 

 gives a strength greater than before to the surrounding 

 growths. 



Is this not, we ask, an exhibition of terrestrial reason? 



