352 L. W. Fulcher — On Vulcano and Stromboli. 



violent outbursts of steam, carrying aloft fragments of lava, scoria? 

 and ashes. Prof. Judd thought that there were at least two orifices 

 in the crater discharging independently. On the north side of the 

 crater he observed a fissure encrusted with yellow salts. 



Two months later, in June, there appears to have been somewhat 

 greater activity, the volcano ejecting blocks into the inhabited 

 district of the island, which is situated at a distance of about two 

 miles from the crater. I cannot find any records of the state of the 

 volcano for the next four years; but on 4th Feb. 1879, an eruption 

 occurred with a loud detonation which was heard to the south of 

 Vulcano, a distance of 45 kilometres (28 miles). Volumes of 

 " smoke " arose from the crater, while the surface of the sea was 

 covered for some distance with floating pumice. In June of the 

 same year there was also a slight outburst. Mr. Eodwell visited 

 Stromboli in 1880, and states that it was giving off enormous quanti- 

 ties of steam, but the ejection of red-hot scorias only occurred at long 

 intervals. The volcano remained in a tranquil state till 1882, when 

 a very important eruption took place. 



After several minor outbursts in the months of January, March 

 and April, the activity culminated in November. On the 17th of 

 this month at 1O30 p.m. a loud detonation was heard, and scoria? 

 and ashes, together with steam, were ejected in great abundance 

 for a few minutes and then ceased. A subsultory earthquake shock 

 was felt, indicating internal disturbances, and some hours later the 

 mountain was lighted up by an immense quantity of incandescent 

 material which was thrown to a considerable height. Simultaneously 

 another earthquake shock was perceived, and a detonation, " as if 

 1000 cannons had exploded at once," caused great consternation 

 among the inhabitants. No one at Stromboli had ever heard such 

 an explosion. It was caused by the opening of five lateral mouths 

 on the slope of the Sciarra about 100 metres below the ordinary 

 crater. These discharged incandescent material and ashes with 

 greater violence than the central crater had ever shown. The 

 eruptions continued with more or less violence till December, when 

 the lateral mouths closed, and the central crater resumed its ordinary 

 activity. No lava issued during the eruption, and Vulcano remained 

 perfectly tranquil. Prof. Mercalli thinks that this eruption is pro- 

 bably the most violent which has happened during the recorded 

 history of Stromboli, a period of some 2000 years. The inhabitants 

 had never seen their volcano in such activity, and even thought of 

 abandoning the island. Another very remarkable feature of this 

 eruption is that the ejectamenta issued from lateral mouths. Never 

 before has a lateral eruption been recorded at Stromboli. 



In February, 1883, we gather from the notes supplied by Signor 

 A. Pincone to Prof. Mercalli that Stromboli again broke out and 

 covered the surface of the sea for more than a mile from the island 

 with a reddish dust. Again, in March, a detonation was heard and 

 the sea covered with pumice. On the 3rd July great quantities of 

 ash were ejected, and the volcano subsided into a more tranquil state 

 than usual, which continued for the next few years. 



