VOLCANO. 



Eighty-feven have been enumerated by form.er geographers, 

 before Humboldt had extended our knowledge of the new 

 world. From twenty-five to thirty were defcribed as exift- 

 ing on the weftern fide of Mexico, before the new volcanic 

 range of Jorullo was thrown up. Sixteen of the higheft 

 mountains in the world, in the province of Quito, are vol- 

 canic, but it is remarkable that they do not ejeft lava, but 

 torrents of mud, which in drying form earthy ilrata of many 

 hundred fquare miles in extent. 



Of the extinft volcanoes in America we have little know- 

 ledge. La Condamine faw feveral extinft craters in Peru. 

 It is thought by travellers, that fome of the lakes in North 

 America occupy the craters of extinft volcanoes of vaft 

 extent ; this can only be determined by an examination of 

 the rocks that furround thefe lakes. Extinft volcanoes are 

 faid to occur in fome parts of Canada. 



Tlie volcanoes in the American iflands are very numerous. 

 The long range of iflands extending weft from point Alaflia 

 is altogether volcanic, according to the relation given by Sauer 

 of the voyage of commodore Billings. One of thefe iflands, 

 called by the Ruffiaas Semifopiahnol, or the feven mountains, 

 contanis feven volcanoes. The group of iflands called Revil- 

 lagedo are fuppofed to be volcanic, from the pumice found 

 on the (hores. The iflands of Gallipagos are chiefly cora- 

 poftd of fcoriaceous lava, as we are informed by a gentle- 

 man who recently vifited them, and who favoured us with 

 fpecimens. On the eaftern fide, among the Antilles, the 

 iflands of St. Chriftopher, Guadaloupe, Nevis, and St. 

 Vincent's, contain volcanoes ; and many of the other Weft 

 Indian ifles appear to be volcanic, though they have had no 

 eruptions fince they were firft vifited by Europeans. 



The volcanoes fcattered in the Southern Pacific ocean 

 can fcaroely be claffed with thofe of the American iflands. 

 There are three very lofty volcanoes in the Friendly ifles, 

 and among a multitude of ifles difperfed over that vaft ex- 

 panfe of water, doubtlefs numerous volcanoes exift which 

 are at prefent unknown. Wc have no account of volcanoes 

 in New Holland. 



This general outline of volcanic geography may fuffice 

 to -fliew how large a portion of the globe is at prefent, 

 or has been formerly, fubjeded to the aftion of fubter- 

 ranean fire. It is the opinion of fome geologifts, that 

 many of the ancient volcanoes which exifted prior to 

 the formation of the upper ftrata, have been entirely 

 covered by them and hid from human obfervation. In 

 other inftances, the craters of ancient volcanoes have been 

 buried by the lavas of more recent eruptions, and in the 

 great revolutions which have changed the appearance of the 

 globe, volcanic dillritts of vail extent have been broken down 

 and the furface fwept away, leaving only detached ifolated 

 caps of volcanic matter on the fummits of diftant mountains, 

 the folitavy monuments of the former dominion of fire. Even 

 volcanic mountains of later date have had their craters en- 

 tirely obhterated by the united agency of mountain torrents 

 and the eruptions of fmaller volcanoes. In the ifland of 

 Lipari, according to the defcription of Spallanzani, the 

 volcanic fires have raged fo near to each other, that they 

 have produced in every part confufion and diforder, which 

 is feen in the groups of broken and half deftroyed moun- 

 tains. The fubftarices ejefted from the numerous eruptions 

 have inferfefted each other, and intermingled fo much, that 

 no diilinft volcanic crater can be traced at prefent. This 

 confufion has been further increafed by torrents of rain, and 

 by gradual difintegration during a long feries of years. 



From the volcanizcd foil of Lipari, from the prefent 

 Hate of the .neighbouring iflands, as well as from ancient 

 tradition, we may with certainty infer that this ifland has 

 been the former feat of volcanoes, though their craters are 



ftcarly obliterated. No geologiit, who has vifited Lipari, cvef 

 entertained the Icaft doubt of its igneous formation. Vol- 

 canic glafs and pumice, with which it abounds, are found 

 on the Peak of Tenerifl'e, in Iceland, Kamtfchatka, and 

 other volcanic countries ; yet the followers of Werner have 

 doubted or denied the igneous origin of thefe fubftances, 

 becaufe they exift in bafaltic diftritts, where no trace of a 

 volcanic crater remains. This appears to be taking a limited 

 view of the fubjeft ; for when we contemplate the prefent 

 cxtenfive effefts of fire in every quarter of the globe, aud 

 the great changes which have taken place on its furface, we 

 may reafonably infer the former exiftence of volcanoes in all 

 countries where the produfts of fubterranean fire are found 

 as native rocks, though no veftige of a crater may remain, 

 and the date of the eruption may be for ever loft in the 

 darknefs of paft ages, which preceded the emerfion of our 

 prefent continents from the ocean. 



Since the preceding article was written, we have feen the 

 Hiftory of Java, by lieutenant-governor Raffles, recently 

 publiflied ; from which it appears that the whole of that 

 large ifland, and moft of the neighbouring ifles, are vol- 

 canic. There are no Icfs than thirty-eight large volcanic 

 mountains in Java, fome of which are at prefent in an aftive 

 ftate. Thefe mountains all rife from a plain, little elevated 

 above the fea. They are detached from each other, and 

 though fome of them are covered by the vegetation of many 

 ages, the indications of their former eruptions are numerous 

 and unequivocal. From the apertures in their craters, many 

 of them continue to difcharge fmoke and fulphureous 

 vapours. 



The following account is truly remarkable, as it is the 

 only recorded inftance of the natural death, if we may be 

 allowed the expreflion, of a large volcano. 



" The Papandayang, fituated on the weftern part of the 

 diftrift of Cheribon, in the province of Suka-pura, w.is 

 formerly one of the largeft volcanoes in the ifland of Java ; 

 but the greateft part of it was fwallowed up in the 

 earth, after a fliort but very fevere combuftion, in the year 

 1772. The account which has remained of this event 

 aflerts, that near midnight, between the nth and 12th of 

 Auguft, there was obferved about the mountain an uncom- 

 monly luminous cloud, by which it appeared to be com- 

 pletely eaveloped. The inhabitants, as well about the foot 

 as on the declivities of the mountain, alarmed by this ap- 

 pearance, betook themfelves to flight ; but before they 

 could all fave themfelves, the mountain began to give way, 

 and the greateft part of it 7i(k\i2\\y fell In, and difappeared in 

 the earth. At the fame time a trem.endous noife was heard, 

 refembling the difcharge of the heavieft cannon. Immenfe 

 quantities of volcanic fubftances, which were thrown out at 

 the fame time, and fpread in every direction, propagated 

 the effefts of the explofion through the fpace of many 

 miles. 1 



" It is eftimated that an extent of ground, of the mountain 

 itfelf, and its immediate environs, fifteen miles long, and full 

 fix broad, was by this commotion fwallowed up in the 

 bowels of the earth. Several perfons fent to examine the 

 condition of the neighbouriiood, made report that they 

 found it impoflible to approach the place where the moun- 

 tain ftood, on account of the heat of the fubftances which 

 covered its circumference, and which were piled on each 

 other to the height of three feet ; although this was 

 the 24th of September, full fix weeks after the cataf- 

 trophe. It is alfo mentioned, that forty villages, partly 

 fwallowed up by the ground, and partly covered by the 

 fubftances thrown out, were deftroyed on this occafion, and 

 that 2957 of the inhabitants periflied. A proportionate 

 number of cattle was alfo deftroyed, and moft of the plant- 

 ations 



