702; PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1/55. 



and may be about 25 toises in breadth : there is no grass to be seen, nothing but 

 sulphur and calcined earth ; the ground is full of crevices, which emit smoke or 

 vapours ; these cracks are deep, and you hear the sulphur boil. Its vapours 

 rising yield very fine chemical flowers, or a pure and refined sulphur. It is 

 chiefly found in those places where the earth lies hollow, and on the chinks or 

 funnels you see the spirit of sulphur run down like fair water, and you breathe an 

 intolerable smell of brimstone The ground is loose, so that they could thrust 

 their canes up to the head, and when drawn out they were as hot as if they had 

 been plunged into lime when slacking. Hastening out of this dangerous situ- 

 ation, they continued climbing to the top of the mountain, keeping to the east, 

 or windward. When at the summit, they discovered another gulf or funnel, 

 that opened some years since, and emits nothing but smoke. The top of the 

 mountain is a very uneven plain, covered with heaps of burnt and calcined earth 

 of various sizes ; the ground smokes only at the new funnel, but appears to have 

 formerly burnt in many places : for they observed abundance of these crevices, 

 and even gutters, and very large and deep chinks, which must have burnt in 

 former times. In the middle of this flat is a very deep abyss, or precipice. It is 

 said, there was once a great earthquake in this island, and that the Brimstone- 

 hill took fire, and vomited ashes on all sides, and this mountain cleft in two ; 

 when probably this abyss or precipice opened. Perhaps the volcano having 

 been fired by lightning, the salts of the earth joined with the sulphur produced 

 the effect of gunpowder, and occasioned this dreadful earthquake. The moun- 

 tain having split, cast forth ashes and sulphureous matters all around, and from 

 that time no earthquake has been felt in the island. This abyss, in the middle 

 of the flat, is behind two crags or points, that rise above the mountain, and on 

 the north side answers to the great cleft, which goes down above a thousand feet 

 perpendicular, and penetrates above a hundred paces into the flat, and is more 

 than 20 feet broad ; so that in this place the mountain is fairly split, from the 

 top down to the basis of the cone. 



From the top of this mountain there is a most delightful prospect. You dis- 

 cover below the islands of Martinique, Dominica, Marigalante, and the whole 

 extent of Guadeloupe. Those of St. Vincent, St. Kits, and even St. Martin, 

 are said to have been seen from the top of this mountain. Montser'-at, Antigua, 

 Nevis, Radonde, and several other islands were very distinctly observed. The 

 air at top is bleak and sharp, but the cold not very intense. Here the party had 

 only time to examine the great cavern and the great cleft above it, and then with- 

 draw to the habitation whence they came, being very weary ; for in coming down 

 they were often obliged to slide, sometimes sitting, sometimes lying on their 

 backs, and holding by the fern. They were often almost buried by tumbling into 

 holes. They met with abundance of nests of black devils, a kind of sea-birds, 

 that come from the north, and hatch their young on this mountain. 



