THE EARTH. 7^ 



From that nine it couiinued to overflow, aiiu sometimes at niglit 

 were seen columns of fii-e shooting upward from its summit. 

 On the tenth, when all was thought to be over, the mountain 

 :.gain i^newed its teiTors, roaring and raging most violently. 

 One cannot form a juste/ idea of the noise, in the most violent 

 lits of it, than by imagining a mixed sound made up of the rag- 

 ing of a tempest, the murmur of a troubled sea, and the roaring 

 of thunder and artillery, confused all together. Though we 

 heard this at a distance of twelve miles, yet it was very terrible. 

 I therefore resolved to approach nearer to the mountain ; and, 

 accordingly, three or four of us got into a boat, and were set 

 ashore at a little town situated at the foot of the mountain. 

 From thence we rode about four or five miles, before we came 

 to tlie torrent of fire that was descending from the side of the 

 volcano ; and here the roaring grew exceedingly loud and terrible 

 as we approached, I observed a mixture of colours in the cloud, 

 above the crater, green, yellow, red, and blue. There was like, 

 wise a ruddy dismal light in the air, over that tract where the 

 burning river flowed. These circumstances, set off and aug- 

 mented by the horror of the night, made a scene the most un- 

 common ind astonishing I ever saw ; which still increased as 

 we approached the burning river. Imagine a vast torrent of 

 liquid fire, rolling from the top down the side of the mountain, 

 and with irresistible fury bearing do\ni and consuming vines, 

 olives, and houses ; and divided into different channels, accord- 

 ing to the inequalities of the mountain. The largest streans 

 seemed half a mile broad at least, and five miles long. I walked 

 so far before my companions up the mountain, along the side of 

 the river of fire, that I was obliged to retire in great haste, the 

 sulphureous stream having surprised me, and almost taken away 

 my breath. During our return, which was about three o'clock 

 in the morning, the roaring of the mountain was heard all the 

 way, while we observed it throwing up huge spouts of fire and 

 burning stones, which, falling, resembled the stars in a rocket. 

 Sometimes I observed two or three distinct columns of flame, 

 and sometimes one only, that was large enough to fill the whole 

 crater. These burning columns, and fiery stones, seemed to be 

 shot a thousand feet perpendicular above the summit of the 

 volcano ; and in this manner the mountain continued raging for 

 &ix c-r eight days after. On the I8th of the same noontb, the 



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