Condition of Vesuvius. 285 



greater portion of them fell back into the crater. I noticed that 

 some small pieces of lava, which had fallen one side were cooled 

 by the time they had reached the cone. 



After all, we were prevented from viewing the internal operations 

 by the thick smoke, continually issuing from the part of the crater 

 directly beneath us, and obscuring the whole of the interior. Occa- 

 sionally, it was partially cleared away by the wind, and we perceived 

 some unheated rocks within twenty feet of the top on the side op- 

 posite us. The diameter of the nearly circular opening was not 

 more than one hundred feet. The ridge forming the circumference 

 was besprinkled with sulphur, which had been thrown out in a fused 

 state. The specimens were very delicate and beautiful ; unfortu- 

 nately too much so to be handled. We were on the point of de- 

 scending, when an eruption took place somewhat greater than we 

 had before seen, and a shower of lava fell on all sides of us, causing 

 us to hurry, and soon we were again upon the heated, though solid 

 lava of the plain or old crater. On our return we went around to 

 the north, thus making the circuit of the cone. In this direction, 

 there were numerous fissures, freely emitting smoke and showing a 

 red heat to the surface. The walls of the old crater which here re- 

 main, are a perpendicular bank of rock exhibiting the edges of al- 

 ternating layers of compact lava and loose scoria with disintegrated 

 lava. The compact contains numerous small imperfect crystals of 

 leucite and hornblende. 



The time before us, would not permit me to make many examina- 

 tions with regard to the volcanic minerals here to be obtained. The 

 following I purchased of our cicerone, who collects and keeps for 

 sale Vesuvian specimens. He pointed out to me a large box, that 

 he had just closed for Professor Buckland of England. Some of 

 the specimens, have passed through the fires, without the least 

 change. Their well known names will distinguish them among the 

 following : — Granite, mica, one specimen and aggregation of black 

 scales, another of a brownish yellow color, crystallized calcareous 

 spar or limestone, idocrase in a micaceous gangue, spinelle with the 

 green mica, sommite, Iceland spar in tabular crystals, dolomite, calca- 

 reous mesotype, in irregular spheroidal masses, cemented together 

 by carbonate of lime, stilbite in the cavities of the lava, leucite in crys- 

 tals with twenty four trapezohedral faces, from j to | of an inch in 

 diameter, muriate of copper incrusting a specimen of lava, specular 

 iron, in flat lenticular crystals covering lava, a compound of chloride 



