VOL. XXVII.] I'HILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 655 



large fire, which shooting up in an instant to a great height, fell again on the 

 island, and illuminated it almost all over. I cannot better represent the figure 

 that the fire made in the air, than by comparing it to a certain artificial fire-work 

 I have seen in France, and is there called the gerbe : but with this difference, 

 that this fire rose much higher and was much larger, but not so distinct as that 

 of the gerbe. The pleasure, however, which they had, in viewing these natu- 

 ral fires, so nearly resembling artificial ones, was not a little disturbed by a phe- 

 nomenon, which the inhabitants believed to be an ill omen ; for immediately 

 after the fire was darted out in the manner of a rocket, there appeared in the 

 air a blaze, in the form of a long fiery sword, which continued some time, 

 without moving, over the castle of Scaro, and afterwards disappeared. 



At that time also, the White and the Black Islands, having increased in length 

 in proportion as they rose in height, united together, and the end of the Black 

 Island, towards the south-east, ceased to increase any more, either in height or 

 length, while the end toward the west increased very sensibly to the sight: 

 whence we may imagine, that the mine of sulphur being at this place, and the 

 fire not finding any passage out here, had force to raise up this part, and not 

 the other ; for in the middle of the island it always found openings to issue out 

 at, together with the smoke. It had then 4 passages there, which were so near 

 one another, that one could not well distinguish them asunder, but by the 

 smoke : I do not mean that smoke which commonly issued out and was conti- 

 nual, but that which rose up at some certain times with a great force; for 

 this smoke came out sometimes from one passage, and sometimes from another, 

 and often out of all four together; sometimes with a great noise, and at other 

 times without any noise at all, though then also it issued out with the same 

 impetuosity. Out of these passages came also a whistling noise, like that of 

 an organ pipe; which, by the variety of sound it made, pleased the inhabitants, 

 whenever the subterraneous thunder ceased. 



One would think, that the noise of this thunder should not then be so loud, 

 by reason of the several passages; yet it was not at any time so great and so 

 frequent as it was then, and as it was above six months after. It was then like 

 the report of a cannon : and there did not pass a day or night, but we heard 

 5 or 6, sometimes 10 or 12 of them; and at the same time several large burn- 

 ing stones were thrown into the air; some of which falling one day on the 

 great Kammeni, set fire to some thickets of bushes on that little island; and 

 others being thrown a great way into the sea, had nearly destroyed a. small 

 vessel that passed by at above a mile distance. These claps were always attended 

 with the smoke before-mentioned, which was very different from that which 

 issued out continually from the gulph of fire nearly in the middle of the island; 



