87 
These phenomena are easily explained, says the celebrated Dr. Darwin, if 
we suppose the central part of the earth to consist of a fluid Lava* as a percus- 
* The matter which is found to roll clown from the mouth of all volcanos in general, resembles the 
dross that is thrown from a smith’s forge. But it is different, perhaps, in various parts of the globe; 
for, there is not a quarter of the world that has not its volcanoes. In Asia, particularly in the islands 
of the Indian ocean, there are many. One of the most famous is that of Albouras, near mount Taurus, 
the summit of which is continually on fire, and covers the whole adjacent country with ashes. In the 
island of Ternate there is a volcano, which, some travellers assert, burns most furiously in the times 
of the equinoxes, because of the winds which then contribute to increase the flames. In the Molucca 
islands there are many burning mountains; they are also seen in Japan, and the islands adjacent; and 
in Java and Sumatra, as well as in other of the Philippine islands. In Africa there is a cavern, near 
Fez, which continually sends forth either smoke or flames. In the Cape de Verde islands, one of them, 
called the Island del Fuego, continually burns; and the Portugueze, who frequently attempted a set¬ 
tlement there, have as often been obliged to desist. The Peak of Teneriffe is, as every body knows, 
a volcano that seldom desists from eruptions. But of all parts of the earth, America is the place where 
those dreadful irregularities of nature are the most conspicuous. Vesuvius, and AEtna itself, are but 
mere fire-works, in comparison to the burning mountains of the Andes; which, as they are the highest 
mountains of the world, so also are they the most formidable for their eruptions. The mountain of 
Arequipa in Peru, is one of the most celebrated; Carassa, and Malahallo, are very considerable; but 
that of Cotopaxi, in the province of Quito, exceeds any thing we have hitherto read or heard of. The 
mountain of Cotopaxi, as described by Ulloa, (Ulloa, vol. i. p. 442 ) is more than three miles per¬ 
pendicular from the sea; and it became a volcano at the time of the Spaniards’ first arrival in that 
country. A new eruption of it happened in the year 1743 , having been some days preceded by a con¬ 
tinual roaring in its bowels. The sound of one of these mountains is not like that of the volcanoes in 
Europe, confined often to a province, but is heard at an hundred and fifty miles distance. An aperture 
was made in the summit of this immense mountain; and three more about equal heights, near the mid¬ 
dle of its declivity, which was at that time buried under prodigious masses of snow. The ignited sub¬ 
stances ejected on that occasion, mixed with a prodigious quantity of ice and snow, melting amidst 
the flames, were carried down with such astonishing rapidity, that in an instant the valley from Callo 
to Latucunga was overflowed; and besides its ravages in bearing down the houses of the Indians, and 
other poor inhabitants, great numbers of people lost their lives. The river of Latucunga was the 
channel of this terrible flood; till being too small for receiving such a prodigious current, it over¬ 
flowed the adjacent country, like a vast lake, near the town, and carried away all the buildings within 
its reach. The inhabitants retired into a spot of higher ground behind the town, of which those parts 
which stood within the limits of the current were totally destroyed. The dread of still greater devas¬ 
tations did not subside for three days; during which, the volcano ejected cinders, while torrents of 
melted ice and snow poured down its sides. The eruption lasted several days, and was accompanied 
with terrible roarings from its crater, rushing through the volcano still louder than the former rum¬ 
blings in its bowels. At last all was quiet, neither fire nor smoke to be seen, nor noise to be heard; 
till, in the ensuing year, the flames again appeared with recruited violence, forcing their passage 
through several other parts of the mountain, so that in clear nights the flames being reflected by the 
transparent ice, formed an awfully magnificent illumination.” 
Such is the appearance and the effect of those fires which proceed from the more inward recesses 
of the earth; for that they generally come from deeper regions than man has hitherto explored, I 
cannot avoid thinking, contrary to the opinion of BUFFON, who supposes them rooted but a very 
little way below the bed of the mountain. “ We can never suppose,” says this great naturalist, “ that 
these substances are ejected from any great distance below, if we only consider the great force already 
required to fling them up to such vast heights above the mouth of the mountain; if we consider the 
substances thrown up, which we shall find upon inspection to be the same with those of the moun¬ 
tain below; if we take into our consideration, that air is always necessary to keep up the flame; but, 
most of all, if we attend to one circumstance, which is, that if these substances were exploded from 
