DR. WHITE : VESUVIUS. 31 



tiifa and ashes, perpendicular in some parts, forming a steep slope in others. 

 AU these walls were emitting smoke and steam and were quite hot to the 

 touch. In the centre of the crater, which is of an irregular elliptic form, 950 

 yards in circumference, is a great mass of rocks, scoria, and ashes, irregularly 

 piled together and forming a small cone, on the top of which open two small 

 craters ; round this small cone is a sea of lava covered with rough scoria 

 and black on the surface, hut on the side of the crater gleaming darkly red 

 through the fissures. This glowing mass was molten lava.^ On the other 

 side it seemed to he quite cold and had several deep rifts caused by earth- 

 quakes. We were fortunate enough to see one of the smaU craters in action. 

 Suddenly a deep rumbling would be heard far in the interior of the mountain 

 — then a puff of smoke, or steam, charged with ashes would issue from the 

 orifice, followed by a roar as it were of thunder, and by a volley of red hot 

 stones and scoria, which after beiug sent high into the air (higher sometimes 

 than the walls of the greater crater,) would rattle down upon the ashes and 

 rocks of the small cone. These outbreaks followed each other with some 

 degree of rapidity. I noted the intervals between them for the space of five 

 minutes in which time there were thirteen, as follows : — 



The 1st Eruption was at 1 minute 10 seconds 



2nd „ 



1 , 



, 20 



5> 



3rd 



1 , 



, 45 



J) 



4th 



2 , 



, 20 



5> 



5th 



2 , 



, 43 



7J 



6th 



3 , 



, 21 



J> 



7th 



3 , 



, 35 



J) 



8th 



4 , 



, 0 



5> 



9th 



4 , 



, 30 



J> 



10th 



4 , 



, 42 



J> 



nth 



5 , 



3 



)> 



12th „ 



5 , 



, 26 



?J 



13th 



6 , 



6 





Each lasted from six to ten seconds. Altogether the crater forms a curious 

 and wild scene, especially when, through the drifting vapour, the burning 

 stones were hurled upwards, and the yellow sulpher rocks and molten la.va 

 were seen dimly gleaming, while at the same time the subterranean thunder 

 and the noise of the falling rocks, shaken down by the tremor of the ground, 

 appealed as strongly to the organs of hearing as the former did to those of 

 the sighto 



