J. W. Judd— On Volcanos. 103 



between the years 1730 and 1740 the volcano was in a state of 

 almost continual eruption ; the Abbe Don Ignazio Kossi, a native 

 of the island of Lipari, kept a diary of observations made during 

 these years, which was published in 1761 by Signor Don Salvadore 

 Papacuri of Messina. Eossi speaks of an almost continual discharge 

 of ashes and smoke taking place, sometimes rising in clouds of great 

 density, and at other times accompanied by explosions of great vio- 

 lence, earthquake shocks and loud roarings. He believed from his 

 observations that the changes in the condition of the volcano were 

 related, in some way or other, to the variations in the state of the 

 atmosphere and the directions from which the wind blew. This 

 question we shall have occasion to refer to more particularly here- 

 after. Deville speaks of violent eruptions having taken place in 

 1731 and 1739. 



That a series of almost continual ejections during more than ten 

 years should have greatly affected the form of the cone and crater 

 of Vulcano is no more than might have been expected. Fortunately, 

 we have in the " Travels " of M. W. de Luc an account of the state 

 of the volcano in 1757. He appears to have been the first writer on 

 the island who ventured to enter the crater. On the 30th of March, 

 in the year mentioned, he managed to reach the bottom of the crater 

 by a narrow passage (probably a great fissure rent in the side of 

 the cone, like that produced in Vesuvius in 1872), which afforded 

 him admission to the interior, but at great risk of being 

 suffocated by the dense sulphurous fumes that enveloped him. His 

 guide, a native of Lipari, refused to accompany him. He describes 

 the bottom as being very rugged and uneven, with a number of 

 apertures, from some of which issued a " strong wind," and from 

 others sulphurous vapours, while an abyss. 60 paces in circuit, near 

 one of the sides, gave off a column of smoke 15 or 18 feet in dia- 

 meter, with a roaring sound " like that of the vapour of boiling 

 water, when it escapes from a vessel not closely covered." The 

 floor of the crater is described as oval in form, with a longer diameter 

 of 800 to 900 paces, and a shorter of 500 to 600 ; but the sides of the 

 crater, which are spoken of as perpendicular, are estimated to have 

 been only from 150 to 200 feet high. We may probably infer, 

 therefore, that the crater had become, in 1757, almost filled up by 

 the fragmentary ejections of the long period of constant activity. 



M. de Luc also informs us that the sea around the island had a 

 yellow colour in places, and in others emitted fumes, the heat at the 

 latter places being intolerable, and the fish of the sea killed. ^ A 

 little above the sea-level he found springs of warm water issuing 

 from the beach and flowing into the sea ; and around these spots the 

 surface of the latter was covered with dead fish. It seems clear, 

 therefore, that the fumaroles on the outside and on the submerged 

 portions of the volcano, though similar in character, were more 

 numerous and violent in their action than at the present day. This 

 is, of course, no more than might be expected so shortly after a 

 prolonged series of violent eruptions. 



In 1768, Sir William Hamilton passed by Vulcano, but did not 



