288 Notice of Active and Extinct Volcanos. 



" Between the western coast and the little village of Florida, I 

 counted twelve cones of larger size, of which the Montagna di 

 Fuego was the sixth in the series, besides a considerable number 

 of smaller cones, partly between and partly on the side of the 

 larger ones. It was an exact repetition of the phenomena of 

 Jorullo, or of the puys in Auvergne. The whole of this erup- 

 tion proceeded in ail probability from a large fissure, the exis- 

 tence of which is in all cases found to produce effects of the 

 more alarming kind, the more distant it is from any volcano, the 

 latter serving as a sort of chimney for the escape of the matter 

 within. 



" On my road to Florida, I visited several such cones. They 

 all alike consist of heaps, three or four hundred feet in height, 

 of hai'sh, porous, sharp lapilli, of the size of a bean, which 

 cause a grating sound when they roll upon each other. 



" These craters open for the most part towards the interior of 

 the island, where the streams of lava unite to form one vast 

 continuous bed, which, the farther we trace it from its source, is 

 found to be less and less charged with olivine." 



These devastations took place in the island, between the 

 1st of September, 1730, and the 16th of April, 1736, during 

 which period of less than five years and an half, the miserable 

 inhabitants being perpetually in terror, on account of the 

 flames and smoke, ejected fragments and currents of lava, 

 the gaseous exhalations which destroyed their cattle, and 

 other frightful phenomena; the most fertile part of the island 

 being covered with ruins, and despairing that the eruptions 

 would ever cease, abandoned their homes and took refuge in 

 the Great Canary. During these eruptions, flames rose from 

 the midst of the sea. After this, the island enjoyed a period 

 of repose for eighty-seven years ; for on the 29th of August, 

 1823, a volcano broke out a league from the harbor of Rescif, 

 and half a league from the mountain called Famia. 



It vomited from its crater, terrible flames which lighted up 

 the whole island, and enormous ignited stones, which in less 

 than twenty-four hours formed a mountain of considerable 

 size. It continued to burn over a space of half a league in 

 length, and a quarter in breadth, for some days, and three 

 weeks after poured forth a torrent of water. 



The island of Madeira — according to Von Buch, is " form- 

 ed after the same manner as the Canaries, consisting of beds 

 which have been elevated above the level of the ocean by 

 elastic fluids, but destitute of any crater from whence smoke 

 and lava have been ejected. 11 



