A M M E N I. 



*413 



wreck, which the sea hwl brought during the night. 

 \\ hen they discovered that, in lieu of pieces of a float- 

 ing wreck", these were black and calcined rocks, they 

 returned, quite frightened, publishing every \N here what 

 they had seen. 



Though the fright was general in the whole island 

 et some of the inhabitant* came to a 

 resolution of making observations on the very spot. 

 Having landed, curiosity induced them to proceed 

 from rock to rock : they found every where a sort 

 Site stone which might be cut like bread, and a 

 quantity of fresh oysters adhering to the rocks ; a cir- 

 cimi-tancc very uncommon at Santorin. While these 

 :-.s were amusing themselves with eating the oys- 

 ters, they all at once felt the rocks move, and the ground 

 rider their feet : terror soon made them aban- 

 don their repast, in order to jump into their boat, and 

 row away as hard as they could pull. This shock was 

 a motion of the island, which was increasing, and which, 

 at that moment, visibly rose, having, in a very few day s, 

 gained near 20 feet in height, andtwiceasmuch" in breadth. 

 One day, a rock very remarkable from its size and fi- 

 gure, having issued from the sea, 40 or 50 paces from 

 the middle of the island, sunk at the expiration of four 

 days into the water, and appeared no more. These diffe- 

 rent commotions violently shook the Little Kammeni, and 

 on it* summit was remarked a long fissure, which had 

 not been seen there before. 1 -le, the sea 



of the gulf several times changed it* colour: it first lie- 

 nine of a dazzling green, then of a rcddi.li hue. and at 

 kst of a pale yv mMantlyemittedagreat stench. 



' >n the 16th of July, smoke wa* seen, lor the first 

 time, to iimie. not from the part of the island that ap- 

 peared, bat from a chain of black rock*, which rote all 

 on a Midden ixty yards from that spot, and from a part 

 f the *ca where no bottom had been found : this, for 

 some time, formed a* it were two leparaSe island*, one 

 of which wa* called the White Island, and the other 

 the Black Island, on account of their different colour* ; 

 but which, ere long, were again united to each other, 

 1 1 a manner that those black rocks which last 

 prang up became the centre of the whole i.v 



fire nor smoke was ever seen on the ' 



nued to grow larger ; but the Black 

 aned far more quickly. Every day were 

 ' big rock*, which sometime! were joined to 



rry remote from it ; 

 re reckoned a* many 



h in four days form- 

 remarked that the 



Neither f-r,- ll.T .1 



Island; yet it < 



rea*ed far i 



MB to arise big rocks, which aom 

 land, and omimes were v 

 o that, in les* than a month, wi 

 Mt< black inland*, win 



ed but one. It was likewise 

 moke had greatly increased, and that, no wind blow- 

 ing at the time, it a*ceniled to high that it wa* seen 

 i. and from other distn: 



tins moke alway* appeared 

 fiery to the height ,.t hft.-vn ..r twenty I. -it, ...id the 



ea wa* c < h MibMance or froth in 



some places, and yellow isb in other*. So great a de- 

 gree of putrefaction spread through all Santorin, that 

 the inhabitant* were obliged to burn perfume*, and to 

 kindle fire* hi the street- lection lasted only a 



da? and a half. A very fresh south-west wind dispeU 

 led it ; but, in driving away one evil, it introduced an- 

 l-tarriedt! > er a great part 



.( tli.-!.-t \ i.ey.,ni-ot >.ii.t.,i.n. the gr.i|H- of :. 

 were alinoot ripe, nrd which, in one night, were all 

 It w M likewise remark nl, that wherever 

 was carried, it blackened silver .md copper, 

 and orcr!nned the it-habitants violent headache*, ac- 



-trong nausea. At that time, the 

 Idand tettU-d and rank all at once upwards 



On the 31ft of July, it wa discovered that the sea 



cast forth smoke, and boiled up in two places, the one 

 at thirty, and the other at sixty yards from the Black ' 

 Island. In these two spaces, each of which formed a 

 perfect circle, the water appeared like oil on the fire. 

 This lasted upwards of a month, during which were 

 found a great many dead fishes. 



" The following night was heard a hollow noise, like 

 the report of several cannon fired at a distance ; and 

 almost immediately issued from the middle of the cra- 

 ter two long sheets of fire, which ascended very high, 

 and were directly extinguished. 



" On the 1st of August, the same hollow noise wa* 

 heard repeatedly. It was followed by a bluish black 

 smoke, which rose in the form of a pillar to a prodi- 

 gious elevation. 



" On the 7th of August, the noise was similar to 

 that of several large heaps of stones falling all at once 

 into a deep well ; and after having lasted several days, 

 changed into another coBaklerably louder. 



On the 21st of August, the fire and smoke dimi- 

 nished considerably ; but, at break of day, they re- 

 sumed more strength than they had before possessed. 

 The smoke was red and very thick, and the fire wliich 

 i-Mietl was so fierce, that the sea round the Black Island 

 smoked and boiled up in a surprising manner. 



' On the morning of the '2'2tl, the island was become 

 much higher than it was the day l>efore. A chain of 

 rocks, of nearly fifty feet, Iiad greatly increased its 

 breadth. The sea WM again covered with that reddish 

 foam already mentioned, which emitted e\ ery where an 

 intolerable stench. 



On the .jth of September, the fire opened itself a 

 pawage at the extremity of the Black Island, at the 

 ame time inclining towards Therasia. The fire issued 

 thence for some days only, during which less came out 

 of the great crater. 



there arose from the great crater, as it were, 

 three of the largest sky-rockets, of a tire the most bril- 

 liant and the most beautiful. On the following nights 

 it wu quit.- another thing. After the usual report- of the 

 subterraneous thunder, all at once were seen going off, as 

 it were, long sheaves sparkling with a million of lights, 

 which, following each other, ascended to a very 



then frfl again in showers of stars on the island, 

 which thence appeared quite illuminated. 



i the !Hli of September, the two island?, the 

 White Island and the Black one. by dint of increasing 

 each in breadth, began to meet ami to form but 

 body. After this junction. th<- e\trcmity of the island 

 to tin- south-west increased no more either in length or 

 height ; whereas the other extremity to the west did 

 not cease to lengthen \ cry |H-rccptil>ly. 



all the ojM-niML's. tin-re \M 1 1 now hut four which 

 emitted any lire. Sum-times the smoke issued with 

 impetuosity from all together, sometimes only from 

 one or two; one while with noise, another without, 

 but almost always with a whistling, which might have 

 been taken for the various sounds of the pipes of 

 an organ, and sometimes for tin- howling of wild 



l*-a-t- 



On the 1 2th of September, the subterraneous noise, 

 ' to spread between four openings, was never 

 Jitful, nor MI frequent as on that day and the 

 follow ing. The loud and rqx-ati d cl.-ips, similar to the 

 _re of a numerous and heavy train of ar- 

 tillery, were heard ten or twelve times jn the course of 

 tw.-iity-tilur hours; and, a moment alter, there issued 

 from the great crater stones of an enormous size, quite 

 red hot, which were thrown to a great distance, and 

 lost in the *ea. These loud clap* were always accom- 

 panied by clouil-i of ashes, Mmc of which were carried 



