No. 445-] 



ERUPTION OF MOUNT PELEE. 



65 



either in temperature, volume or limpidity. The air here as in 

 all the Precheur district is strongly impregnated with the odor 

 of sulphuretted hydrogen and all silver pieces turned brown as 

 well as those paintings which contained compounds of lead. In 

 the night of 5th to 6th of August and the 9th of the same month 

 strong but short shocks of earthquake were felt ; since that time 

 the earth has remained at rest, but from time to time strong 

 detonations may be heard, similar to cannon shots in the dis- 

 tance. At the same time it is stated that a movement is felt 

 such as might be produced by a powerful blow st nu k beneath 

 the soil. This sensation was also perceived at the Ruttin House 

 but at my residence Fond Canonville, which is not on the mas- 

 sive rock of the hills but on the seacoast, I perceixed nothing 

 of the sort. 



All along the road leading to the baths and at the spring 

 Messrs. Le Prieur and Peyraud perceixed no landslips, even 

 though the walls of the ravine by this road are formed of tufa 

 20 to 25 meters in height, frequently deeply trenched. This 

 soil is composed of pumice in masses or fragments on which 

 the water has deposited in certain places incrustations. Above 

 the bathing establishment toward the Carbonal House many 

 rocks are found high up the slope which are triable and fine 

 grained, horizontally bedded, and resting on the fragmentary 

 pumice ; these rocks are variously colored and ser\ e as support 

 to the pumice ; this suggests that often eruptions had taken 

 place, throwing out pumiceous rocks and that in the intervals 

 the flowing water in its turn had deposited the particles held in 

 suspension during the calm periods. Along the lower part ol 

 the road all these beds are very well shown, especially in tlv.se 

 portions artificially trenched; there are there several -oo(l sized 

 heaps of ancient volcanic cinders of a faint violet tint and rather 

 more sandy in quality than the muds thrown out today : there- 

 are no metallic i)articles ; some are reddish like the san(l> tound 

 near the little extinct vents, or on the >teei) slope bai k of the 

 vent called La Soufriere. 



namely, what had happened to the actual summit of the Mon- 

 tague I'elee. where there is a lake supposed to be the .seat o! an 



