160 The National Geographic Magazine 



and obstructions which suppressed the 

 ignivomous torrent. At night it was 

 manifest that it had greatly disengaged 

 itself from its burden by the appearance 

 of fire flashing now and then, flaking 

 above the mouth of the crater. 



On Thursday, the memorable 30th of 

 April, the reflection of the rising sun 

 on this majestic body of curling vapor 

 was sublime beyond imagination. Any 

 comparison of the glaciers of the Andes 

 or Cordilleras with it can but feebly 

 convey an idea of the fleecy whiteness 

 and brilliancy of this awful column of 

 intermingled and wreathed smoke and 

 clouds. It afterwards assumed a more 

 sulphureous cast, like what we call 

 thunder clouds, and in the course of 

 the day a ferruginous and sanguine 

 appearance with much livelier action 

 in the ascent, a more extensive dilation, 

 as if almost freed from every obstruc- 

 tion. After noon the noise was inces- 

 sant and resembled the approach of 

 thunder, still nearer and nearer, with 

 a vibration that affected the feelings 

 and hearing ; as yet there was no con- 

 vulsive motion or sensible earthquake. 

 Terror and consternation now seized 

 all beholders. The Caribs, settled at 

 Morne Ronde at the foot of the Sou- 

 friere, abandoned their homes with their 

 live stock and everything they pos- 

 sessed, and fled precipitately towards 

 the town. The negroes became con- 

 fused, forsook their work, looked up to 

 the mountain, and, as it shook, trem- 

 bled with dread of what they could 

 neither understand nor describe ; the 

 birds fell to the ground, overpowered 

 with the showers of favilla, unable to 

 keep themselves on the wing ; the cattle 

 were starving for want of food, as not 

 a blade of grass or a leaf was now to be 

 found ; the sea was much discolored, 

 but in nowise uncommonly agitated, 

 and it is remarkable that throughout 

 the whole of the violent disturbance of 

 the earth it continued quite passive, 

 and did not at any time sympathize 



with the agitation of the land. About 

 4 o'clock p. m. the noise became more 

 alarming, and just before sunset the 

 clouds reflected a bright copper color, 

 suffused with fire. Scarcely had the day 

 closed when the flame burst at length 

 pyramidically from the crater through 

 the mass of smoke ; the rolling of the 

 thunder became more awful and deafen- 

 ing ; electric flashes quickly succeeded, 

 attended with loud claps, and nowindeed 

 the hurty-burly began. Those only who 

 have witnessed such a sight can form any 

 idea of the magnificence and variety of 

 the lightning and electric flashes ; some 

 forked zigzag playing across the perpen- 

 dicular column from the crater, others 

 shooting upwards from the mouth-like 

 rockets of the most dazzling luster, 

 others like shells with their ' trailing 

 fuses flying in different parabolas, with 

 most vivid scintillations from the dark, 

 sanguine column which now seemed in- 

 flexible and immovable by the wind. 



Shortly after 7 o'clock p. m. the 

 mighty cauldron was seen to simmer, 

 and the ebullition of lava to break out 

 on the northwest side. This, imme- 

 diately after boiling over the orifice 

 and flowing a short way, was opposed 

 by the activity of a higher point of 

 land, over which it was impelled by the 

 immense tide of liquefied fire, that drove 

 it on forming the figure V in grand il- 

 lumination. Sometimes when the ebul- 

 lition slackened, or was insufficient to 

 urge it over the obstructing hill, it re- 

 coiled back, like a refluent billow from 

 the rock, and then again rushed for- 

 ward, impelled by fresh surprise, and 

 scaling every obstacle, carrying rocks 

 and woods together in its course down 

 the slope of the mountain, until it pre- 

 cipitated itself down some vast ravine 

 concealed from our sight by the inter- 

 vening ridges of Morne Ronde. Vast 

 globular bodies of fire were seen pro- 

 jected from the fiery furnace, and burst- 

 ing, fell back into it, or over it, on the sur- 

 rounding bushes, which were instantly 



