40 
DOTTINGS ON THE ROADSIDE. [Chap. III.—B. S. 
tants of the city of Leon. On the afternoon of the 
14th of December, 1867, the people in that city were 
startled by the sudden and almost simultaneous 
breaking out of a number of volcanic vents on the 
western or Pacific slope near the base of the long- 
extinct twin volcanic of Eota, the middle one of the 
chain of volcanic cones which follow each other in 
close' succession from the northern extremity of the 
Lake of Managua to the Viejo, the most prominent 
volcano of either, and a landmark for strangers de¬ 
siring to enter the Port of Corinto. The first intima¬ 
tion of the eruption to the inhabitants of Leon (only 
ten miles distant in a direct line from the scene of the 
eruption) was a low, rumbling sound, like distant thun¬ 
der, shortly followed by quick, sharp, and continuous 
reports, resembling the roar of a not-far-distant bat¬ 
tery of heavy artillery ; these reports and subsequent 
ones were distinctly audible on still nights at the Port 
of Corinto. On the night of the 14th of December 
there was revealed a sight which but few people ever 
witnessed. Two large volcanic fires, with several 
smaller ones scattered about on the plain, shed their 
lights on the surrounding country, and even lit up 
with a warm glow the towers of the Leon cathedral. 
Thus far the eruptive matter consists only of large 
masses of molten lava, scoria, and ashes, unaccompa¬ 
nied by any lava stream. The latest information 
states, that a cone of about twenty feet of elevation 
had been formed round the principal orifice, but 
whether caused by upheaval or by the deposition of 
scoria and ashes was not stated.” Thus far the news¬ 
papers. 
