On the Eruptions of the Soufrttre and Mont PeUe, 441 



and in St. Vincent. A fuller comparison, and more particularly the 

 investigation of the outstanding points of difference, is best deferred 

 till the detailed results of the French Commissioners' investigations are 

 to hand. 



We were fortunate in having an opportunity of witnessing one of the 

 more important eruptions of Mont Pelee before we left Martinique, 

 and this enabled us to see how far the actual phenomena corresponded 

 with the ideas we had been led to form from an inspection of the 

 effects of the earlier outbursts. On the 9th July we were in a small 

 sloop of 10 tons, the " Minerva," of Grenada, which we had hired to 

 act as a convenient base for our expeditions on the mountain. The 

 morning was spent in St. Pierre city, and among the sugar-cane planta- 

 tions on the lower slopes of the mountain on the banks of the Eiviere 

 des Peres. The volcano was beautifully clear. Every ravine and 

 furrow, every ridge and crag, on its gaunt naked surface stood out 

 clearly in the sunlight. (See Plate 11.) Thin clouds veiled the summit, 

 but now and then the mist would lift sufficiently to show us the jagged 

 broken cliff which overlooks the cleft. From the triangular fissure 

 which serves as the crater hardly a whiff of steam was seen to rise, 

 and the great heap of hot boulders which lies on the north side of and 

 above this fissure, could be perfectly made out. (See Plate 12.) Small 

 land-slides took place in it occasionally, and small jets of steam rose 

 now and again from between the stones. 



A little after mid-day large steam clouds began to rise, one every 

 10 or 20 minutes, with a low rumble. As they rose they expanded, 

 becoming club-shaped and consisting of many globular rolling masses, 

 constantly increasing in number and in size as they ascended in the 

 air. They might be compared to a bunch of grapes, large and small, 

 or to a gigantic cauliflower. When their upward velocity diminished 

 they floated away to leeward, and fine ash rained down in a dense 

 mist as they drifted over the western side of the mountain. They 

 occasioned no anxiety in our minds, as we had found that the mountain 

 was never long without exhibiting these discharges, and they were 

 due merely to an escape of steam carrying with it fine dust. They 

 rose, as a rule, to heights of 5000 or 6000 feet above the sea. 



That afternoon as the sun was getting lower in the heavens, and the 

 details of ravine and spur showed a contrast of light and shadow 

 which was absent at mid-day, we sailed along from St. Pierre to Pr6- 

 cheur, intent on obtaining a series of general photographs of the hill. 

 The steam puffs continued, and, about 6 o'clock, as we were standing 

 back across the bay of St. Pierre, they became more numerous, though 

 not much larger in size. We ran down to Carbet, a village 1J miles 

 south of St. Pierre, where there is a supply of excellent water and 

 good anchorage. About half-past six it was obvious that the activity 

 of the mountain was increasing. The cauliflower clouds were no 



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