372 
square miles have been devastated. No lava flowed, but 
only streams of mud, and to this it is added that neither 
the land nor the sea bottom has subsided or been up- 
lifted—a statement in which we cannot concur. 
(Photo by Israel C. Russell. 
Fic. 1.—Mud-plastered landscape, south end of Morne d’Orange. 
Evidences of lightning strokes have been found in St. 
Pierre by Prof. Heilprin, but they are not numerous. 
The time at which the city was overwhelmed was at 
7.50 a.m. (local time). At 7.53 and 7.55 magnetic dis- 
turbances commenced at Cheltenham, near Washington, 
and at Baldwin, in Kansas, and disturbances were also 
recorded in Paris and Hawaii. 
In the 7éswmé of the report Mr. Hill tells us that the 
fatal explosions were not from the old crater of Mont 
Pelée, which is 5 miles from St. Pierre, but from a lower 
vent about 24 miles distant, and it is therefore a Soufriére 
which has created destruction both in Martinique and in 
St. Vincent. 
The report furnished by Prof. Israel C. Russell refers 
to both of these islands. It commences with a list of 
those who were fortunate in obtaining berths on board 
the Dzxze, amongst whom was Mr. Borchgrevink, who 
conversed on “the desolate wilds of the Antarctic Con- 
24 miles to the inch 
Fic. 2.—Map prepared by Mr. Robert T. Hill showing zones of devasta 
tion in Martinique. - 
tinent,” but whose report is held back for a future 
publication. Mr. Russell’s photographs are excellent, 
and without these the instructiveness of his and other 
reports would have lost much in value.. The material 
NO. 1711, VOL. 66] 
NATURE 
[AucusT 14 1902 
ejected in Martinique was much finer than that thrown 
out in St. Vincent, where stones 5 and 6 inches in 
diameter fell at a distance of about 5 miles from their 
origin, 
Mr. J. S. Diller describes the rocks of Mont Pelée 
as hypersthene and hornblende hypersthene andesites. 
The material forming the peak of Mont Carbet is a 
dacite or quartz andesite. The pumice from the recent 
eruption is hypersthene andesite. Eight chemical 
analyses show differences in ejectamenta from different 
eruptions and in the character of the materials which 
fell near and at a distance from the craters from which 
they originated. 
The lavas from St. Vincent are also hypersthene ande- 
sites, but are peculiar in the fact that they contain olivine. 
In the ejecta from St. Vincent sulphur, which is absent 
in that from Mont Pelée, is a marked constituent. In 
a separate report Mr. W. F. Hillebrand points out other 
differences between the lavas and lapilli from these two 
islands which are sufficiently marked that the product 
of Pelée can be easily distinguished from that of La 
Soufriére. In referring to Dr. Pollard’s analyses (see 
(Photo by Israel C. Russell. 
Fic. 3.—A river of mud pouring from La Soufriére. 
NATURE, vol. Ixvi. p. 130) indicating the presence of nickel 
and cobalt, Mr. Hillebrand remarks ;—‘ Either we of the 
Survey have overlooked traces of nickel . or Dr. 
Pollard has counted as nickel something which was not 
that element.” 
Although we have here and there ventured a few 
critical remarks upon these reports, we cannot but 
regard them as a valuable contribution to vulcanology, 
and anticipate pleasure in the perusal of their con- 
tinuation. 
In the August number of the Certurxy Magazine we 
have read with interest two articles on ‘‘ The Last Days 
of St. Pierre,” each of which is founded upon documentary 
evidences. The first of these is a letter written in the 
form of a journal by the Very Rev. G. Parel, vicar-general 
of Martinique, to his Bishop, and the second a series of 
extracts contained in Les Colonies, a daily paper published 
in St. Pierre. Although,as might be anticipated, a large 
| portion of these documents refer to the attitude taken by 
the inhabitants of the stricken districts, and furnish de- 
tails of local rather than of general interest, much may be 
extracted from them of scientific value. 
Now we learn that Mont Pelée showed its cap of 
white vapours as early as April 25, and that excurstonists 
who were attracted by the spectacle reported that the 
Etang Sec, “which has the shape of an immense basin 
inclined towards St. Pierre,” was filling up with boiling 
water. 
Prior to the eruption of 1852 this cirque was also filled 
