VOLCANO. 



moimtakis and ranges in Ireland are fuppofed to have had a 

 fimilar origin. It is however doubted, by geologiits of 

 great repute, whetlier bafaltic vocks liave all been formed 

 by fire, and fomc deny altogether the igneous origin of thefe 

 rocks. See Systems of Geology, Basalt, Trap, and Whin- 

 stone. 



The iflands of Faroe, near Iceland, prefent more un- 

 doubted marks of their former volcanic Hate. 



On the continent of Afia, few adlivc volcanoes arc known. 

 According to the traveller Morier, there are feveral moun- 

 tains in Perfia that conilantly emit fmoke. Ancient geo- 

 graphers alfo mention volcanoes in Thibet and Camboya. 

 The mountain of Cophante, at the fouth-eaft extremity of 

 the Cafpian fea, is ftated to be volcanic. There is a volcano 

 at the entrance of the Red fea, and another at the entrance 

 of the Perfian gulf. From thence to Kamtfchatka we are not 

 acquainted with any aftive volcano ; but in tliis peninfula, 

 according to count Beniowflci, there are not lefs than twenty, 

 five of which are of immenfe fize, called Awatcha, Joupanou- 

 flcaia, Chevehtchc, Tobatchia, and Kamtchatka'ia. The three 

 former are faid to be connefted, and to have fimultaneous 

 eruptions ; the latter ejefts a great quantity of vitrified fub- 

 ftances, which are found in its neighbourhood. It is of an 

 immenfe height : the philofophers who accompanied Pe- 

 roufe were three days in reaching the crater, and it is faid 

 to be vifible at the diftance of three hundred miles. In the 

 month of September 1737, torrents of burning matter flow- 

 ing down on every fide, prcfented to the fight the whole of 

 the mountain as red-hot. Almoft all the fprings and lakes 

 in this peninfula are more or lefs warm, hence they are 

 never entirely frozen over, notwithftanding the rigour of the 

 climate. The chain of the Kurilc idands, which may be 

 confidered as a continuation of Kamtfchatka, contains nine 

 a&ive volcanoes. 



Ksempfer, in his Hiftory of Japan, defcribes eighteen 

 volcanoes in that and the neighbouring iflands, and La Pe- 

 roufe difcovered two others. 



In the Marianas, or Ladrone iflands, nine volcanoes have 

 been defcribed. The Philippine iflands, which are faid to 

 exceed twelve hundred, are many of them volcanic. There 

 are three volcanoes in L\r/.on, the principal ifland. 



The archipelago of the Molucca iflands abounds with 

 volcanoes. Machian, one of thefe valuable fpice iflands, 

 contains a remarkable volcanic mountain, which in 1646 was 

 completely rent from the fummit to tlie bafe, by the violence 

 of its eruptions, and at prefent forms two diflindl moun- 

 tains. Handing near each other. 



In the ifland of Ceylon, the peak of Adam is celebrated 

 for its lieight and its volcanic eruptions. 



In Sumatra there are four gigantic volcanoes, the higheil 

 of which is thirteen thoufand eight hundred and forty-two 

 feet above the level of the fea. The others are nearly of 

 equal height. Several volcanoes occur in the ifland of Java. 

 The ifland of Teriiate affords alfo a volcano on tlie top of a 

 mountain very difHcult of accefs, but opening with a vaft 

 mouth, and very terrible when it burns. 



The feveral violent eruptions of this mountain have given 

 it, within the mouth or crater, the appearance of an am- 

 phitheatre, conftru Aed for holding people at the time of fome 

 pubhc fhow, feveral circles appearing in it one above an- 

 other, formed with a fort of regularity that is furprifing. 

 Modern navigators have difcovered numerous volcanic iflands 

 fcattered over the Yellow Sea and in the Pacific Ocean, from 

 Afia to the weftern coafts of America. 



Of the extinft volcanoes of Afia, excepting the northern 

 parts, we have no accounts whatever. Patrin, an eminent 

 French mineralogift, who vifited part of northern Afia, fays 



that hills of lava were feai after he had crofTcd the lake 

 of Baikal, fifteen leagues to the call of l)ie city of Oudinfk, 

 near the river Kourba. All the country between Chilka 

 and Argounc, which forms the river Amour, prcfents traces 

 of volcanoes. The mines of Gazemour are in the vicinity 

 of an immenfe crater, the bottom of which is at prefent 

 nearly on a level with the river. It is flat, and covered with 

 blocks of fcorificd lava, from whence rife feveral fmall vol- 

 canic cones. On pafTing over this plain it returned a hollow 

 found to the horfes' feet, as if they were travelling over a 

 vault. 



There are other larger craters on the fummits of vol- 

 canic mountains, near the river Kourba, fome of which are 

 converted into lakes. Valt currents of lava defcend from 

 thefe craters ; fome of them are at prefent empty, others 

 refemble thole of Oberftein and Deux Ponts, and arc filled 

 with chalcedonies and amygdaloidal Hones. 



When Hanno, the Carthaginian, coafted Africa, he faw 

 in the night-time fires afcendiiig from a lofty mountain 

 called the Car of the Gods. Kircher, in his Mundus Sub- 

 terraneus, mentions eight burning volcanoes on that conti- 

 nent, and the remains of many extindl ones. Our know- 

 ledge of the interior of this country is very imperfect, and 

 no aftive volcanoes are at prefent known there. 



From the accounts of fome of the mountains near the 

 Cape of Good Hope, we may infer that they have formerly 

 been volcanic. 



All the African iflands are volcanic, or contain veiliges 

 of their igneous origin. No lefs than forty-two aftive or 

 dormant volcanoes are found in the Azores. 



Tlie iflands of Lanzerotta, Palma, and Teneriffe, contain 

 burning volcanoes, and the other Canary ifles are volcanic. 



The Cape Verd iflands are alfo volcanic, but Fuego is the 

 only one in which the fire is at prefent aftive. 



The ifland of Afcenfioii, and the ifle of Bourbon, con- 

 tain volcanoes. St. Helena and the Madeira iflands prefent 

 undoubted marks of their igneous formation. 



The volcanoes on the continent of America are numerous, 

 and of an immenfe fizc and height. They are principally 

 fituatcd near the wcllern coalt. Ancient navigators men- 

 tion volcanoes in Greenland with boiling fprings, announc- 

 ing a volcanic foil, fimilar to that of Iceland. On the 

 fiorth-well coall of America, Capt. Cook faw a volcano in 

 lat. 61°, and another of amazing height in lat. 55°, at the 

 point of Alafl<a. Another iiigher than the Peak of Tene- 

 riffe was difcovered in lat. 5^ . Others have been fecn in 

 various parts of the coall between Alalka and California ; 

 but of the volcanoes in the interior, in thefe latitudes, we 

 are unacquainted. Five volcanoes arc enumerated in Cali- 

 fornia. Proceeding fouthwards, along the chain of moun- 

 tains that forms the Cordillera";, we find the volcanoes ranged 

 in rows nearly north and fouth along a line of five thoufand 

 miles in length, from the tropic of Cancer to Terra del 

 Fuego. In the province of Quito the volcanic mountains 

 diverge from this line eafl and weft, being fcattered over a 

 fpace of feven hundred fquare leagues, which is regarded 

 by Humboldt as one enormous volcanic abyfs, covered with 

 a crufl of volcanic matter, and fending forth eruptions from 

 the numerous lofty craters, which are only different vents to 

 the fame internal fire. In New Spain alfo, tliere is a vol. 

 canic range, intcrfefting the Cordilleras in lat. 19°, and ex- 

 tending call and welt from the gulf of Mexico to the Pa- 

 cific ocean. In this range, Coliina and other ancient vol- 

 canoes, with the new volcano of Jorullo, .ire placed. 



From the province of Quito the volcanoes are continued 

 along the Cordilleras, in a direft line to the fouthcrn ex- 

 tremity of America. The number of aftive volcanoes on 

 this continent can fcarceiy be lefs than one hundred. 

 3 L 2 Eighty- 



