1 76 Scientific I ntellig ence. — Geology. 
toman frontier. These conjectures serve to shew, that the re- 
ports were not accompanied with any local symptoms of earth 7 
quake, or any motion of the atmosphere. The Governor of the 
island posted people on the heights around Babinopoglie to dis- 
cover, if possible, the direction from which the sound came ; but 
they were unable to observe any constant direction, as the sounds 
were heard sometimes on one side, sometimes on another, and 
sometimes over head. The Governor himself went down into 
some deep and spacious caverns, that existed in the island, but 
here there reigned a perfect silence. The effect was most sensi- 
ble at Barbinopoglie, and diminished from this point, so as to 
be scarcely perceptible at the extremities of the island. There 
were four, ten, or even a hundred detonations in the day ; their 
loudness increased to such a degree, that they might be likened 
to the reports of a gun of large caliber. They took place in all 
seasons, at every hour of the day, whether the weather was fine 
or stormy, whether the tide was flowing or ebbing, and whether 
the sea was calm or agitated. It was in the month of August 
1823 that they became most violent. No rain had fallen for 
four months ; the brooks were dried up, and the rivers of the 
mainland were very low. Things went on thus until the . month 
of February 1824. A silence of seven months then ensued; but 
the reports commenced again in September, and continued un- 
til the middle of March 1825, although they were much weaker, 
and at greater intervals. They then ceased, but it cannot be 
known whether this silence is to be permanent. There have 
been intermissions of several months during the phenomenon, 
but the cessation of the noise was preceded by very loud reports, 
and before this last cessation they became weaker and weaker. 
The reports were never accompanied with any luminous appear- 
ance ; no local modification of the atmosphere was observed du- 
ring their continuance ; the barometer and electrometer mani- 
fested no extraordinary movement. Nor was there any true 
earthquake, although the doors and windows were shaken. The 
nature of the sound indicated nothing subterraneous, but rather 
an explosion in the surrounding atmosphere. Dr Stulli of Ra- 
gusa, who narrates the above details, supposes these reports to 
have been occasioned by the emission of quantities of gas elabo- 
rated by some volcanic fire, situated beneath the island, or com- 
