J. W. Judd—On Volcanos. 149 



Passing over the account of Ferrara in 1810, as well as some 

 other descriptions of the features of the volcano in its ordinary con- 

 dition of subdued activity, we will proceed to notice the admirably 

 clear descriptions of an English naval officer, who, during the year 

 1813, was constantly cruising about these islands in a gun-boat, 

 being employed in constructing the charts of the Mediterranean. 

 The fact that he was not engaged in any special geological researches, 

 and does not seem to have been acquainted with the writings of 

 either Dolomieu or Spallanzani, gives his testimony on the subject 

 all the value of that of a perfectly independent witness ; and it will 

 only be necessary to mention that this young officer subsequently 

 became well known in the scientific world as Admiral W. H. Smyth, 

 to satisfy our readers as to his competency and accuracy. 1 



Smyth, who ascended the mountain and spent a part of the night 

 beside the crater, thus describes what he saw : — " When the smoke 

 cleared away, we perceived an undulating ignited substance, which 

 at short intervals rose and fell in great agitation ; and, when swollen 

 to the utmost height, burst with a violent explosion and a discharge 

 of red-hot stones, in a semi-fluid state, accompanied with showers of 

 ashes and sand, and a strong sulphurous smell. The masses are 

 usually thrown up to a height of from 60 or 70 to 300 feet ; but 

 some, the descent of which I computed to occupy from 9 to 12 

 seconds, must have ascended above 1000 feet. In the moderate 

 ejections, the stones in their ascent gradually diverged, like a grand 

 pyrotechnical exhibition, and fell into the abyss again ; except on 

 the side near the sea, where they rolled down in quick succession, 

 after bounding from the declivity, to a considerable distance in the 

 water. A few fell near us, into which, while in the fluid state, we 

 thrust small pieces of money as memorials for friends." 



Valuable as is Smyth's evidence as to the nature of the pheno- 

 mena displayed within the crater of Stromboli, his testimony to 

 the fact that its eruptions are sometimes, and especially during 

 stormy weather, of a much more violent character than ordinary, 

 is equally clear, as the following passage will show : 



"I was once going over, in my gun-boat, from Milazzo to Strom- 

 boli, when a furious south-east wind arose, and rendered it impossi- 

 ble to anchor before San Bartoli, where, on approaching, I observed 

 the spray of the surf carried even to the houses : the only refuge to 

 save us from being blown over to Calabria, then occupied by Murat, 

 was to run almost under the crater in a nook of Schiarazza Point, 

 where, for two nights and days, we rode in a state of partial security 

 as to winds and weather ; but certainly not without considerable 

 danger from the incessant showers of red-hot stones that were hurled 

 aloft from the crater with amazing rapidity, and most of which 

 fell very near us, while some of them exploded in the air with a 

 whizzing sound like the fragments of bomb-shells after bursting. The 

 explosions followed each other in quick succession (not more than 5 

 to 10 minutes elapsing between) with a report like distant artillery ; 

 the moment of ejection was accompanied by brisk rattling detona- 



1 I am indebted to Mr. "Warington "W. Smyth,. F.R.S. f for giving me the date of 

 his father's observations on Stromboli. 



