418 PHILOSOPHICAL THAN8ACTION8. [aNNO I7674 



of black smoke, followed by a reddish flame, shoot up with violence from the 

 mouth of the volcano, and presently fell a shower of stones. From November 

 to the 28th of March, the date of the beginning of this eruption, the smoke 

 increased and was mixed with ashes, \<rhich fell, and did great damage to the vine- 

 yards in the neighbourhood of the mountain. A few days before the eruption 

 he saw (what Pliny the younger mentions having seen, before that eruption of 

 Vesuvius which proved fatal to his uncle) the black smoke take the form of a 

 pine tree. The smoke that appeared black in the day-time for near 2 months 

 before the eruption, had the appearance of flame in the night. 



On Good Friday, March 28, at 7 o'clock at night, the lava began to boil over 

 the mouth of the volcano, at first in one stream ; and soon after, dividing itself 

 into two, it took its course towards Portici. It was preceded by a violent explo- 

 sion, which caused a partial earthquake in the neighbourhood of the mountain, 

 and a shower of red hot stones and cinders were thrown up to a considerable 

 height. The lava ran near a mile in an hour's time, when the two branches 

 joined in a hollow on the side of the mountain, without proceeding farther. Sir 

 W. approached the mouth of the volcano, as near as he could with prudence : 

 the lava had the appearance of a river of red hot and liquid metal, such as is 

 seen in the glass houses, on which were large floating cinders half lighted, and 

 rolling one over another with great precipitation down the side of the mountain, 

 forming a most beautiful and uncommon cascade; the colour of the fire was 

 much paler and more bright the first night than the subsequent nights, when it 

 became of a deep red, probably owing to its having been more impregnated with 

 sulphur at first than afterwards. The 29th the mountain was very quiet, and the 

 lava did not continue. The 30th it began to flow again in the same direction, 

 while the mouth of the volcano threw up every minute a girandole of red hot 

 stones, to an immense height. The 31st he passed the night on the mountain ; 

 the lava was not so considerable as the first night, but the red hot stones were 

 perfectly transparent, some of which, of a ton weight, mounted at least 200 feet 

 perpendicular, and fell in, or near, the mouth of a little mountain, that was now 

 formed by the quantity of ashes and stones, within the great mouth of the vol- 

 cano, and which made the approach much safer than it had been for some days 

 before, when the mouth was near half a mile in circumference, and the stones 

 took every direction. It is impossible to describe the beautiful appearance of 

 these girandoles of red hot stones, far surpassing the most astonishing artificial 

 fire-work. On the 10th of April at night the lava disappeared on the side of the 

 mountain towards Naples, and broke out with much more violence on the side 

 next the Torre dell' Annunciata. It burst out of the side of the mountain, 

 within about half a mile of the mouth of the volcano, like a torrent, attended 

 with violent explosions, which threw up inflamed matter to a considerable height, 



