294 
Letters describing Pompeii. Mount Vesuvius , (Nov. 1, 
which frequently, by changing its figure, 
renders the description -of travellers so 
very different. The largest of the pre¬ 
sent craters is, I think, one hundred 
feet deep, by three or four hundred in 
diameter. At the bottom are two aper¬ 
tures, which throw up alternately, the 
one stones and ashes, the other vapour 
and rubbish. On the side towards Na¬ 
ples, but lower than the large crater, 
there exists oue truly curious : its sides 
V 
are perpendicular. Three feet in breadth, 
it seems to be a chimney from whence 
issues continually a burning smoke. I 
believe that at the time of the eruptions 
of the grand crater, so far from pouring 
out its lava, it ceases altogether; but 1 
could not make the experiment. 
Ou my second journey, which I made 
with some friends, the mountain was 
tranquil: the stones which roll without 
ceasing from the sides of the crater had 
stopped the mouth of it: I threw my¬ 
self amongst them and was spec lily 
followed by my companions. I expe¬ 
rienced some pleasure at finding myself 
above the vault, that vast furnace which, 
fifteen days previous, appeared to me so 
terrible. 
I don’t know if I havegivenyouan idea 
of the form of the crater: at times it is 
stained by the finest yellow and the most 
brilliant white. The first colour pro¬ 
ceeds from sulphur, the odour of which 
fills all the atmosphere around the sum¬ 
mit; the white is owing to different ox¬ 
ides formed in this laboratory of nature. 
I picked up stones variously coloured ; 
and soon after, like children, I threw 
them away to pick up others which ap¬ 
peared to ine more curious ; Salvator, 
our guide, possesses a very fine collec¬ 
tion of them. The habitude of seeing 
scientific men has in some measure in¬ 
structed him in the mineralogy of vol¬ 
canos. The last time I went to Vesu¬ 
vius there had been formed within a 
short time, a new crater still more pro¬ 
found ; it threw out stones at every 
moment. I wished to make an oil 
sketch of the view before me, but it 
was entirely covered with ashes. The 
officers of a Swedish vessel being seated 
on the mountain, we shared the provi¬ 
sions which were to serve us for break¬ 
fast, and we directed our steps towards 
the edge of the crater, which had just 
made an eruption. The wind was sharp 
and cold, I wished to take shelter from 
it by seating myself some feet lower 
than the brink of the crater. The ashes 
gave way under my feet; 1 wished to 
rest on some stones, but they were burn¬ 
ing, and l thought for an instant ihat 
I was about to roll down into the abyss. 
M. Nouchy, secretary of M. Rev, our 
guide, and the Swedes, immediately 
made a sort of chain, and drew me up 
just in time: for an instant after, the 
bottom of the crater opened and vomit¬ 
ed a blast of ashes and burning stones. 
After walking for a long time on 
the black ashes, sometimes dry and 
sometimes wet, the guide conducted us 
under a kind of natural grotto, open on 
both sides, formed by pieces of lava, 
decorated with the most brilliant co¬ 
lours. The vapour which issues from 
it is so suffocating, that the first time I 
could not traverse it; but since, by re¬ 
taining my respiration, I succeeded in 
the attempt. You generally breakfast 
on au elevated point, from whence you 
enjoy a panorama the most extensive 
which you can imagine: you are then 
nearly eighteen hundred feet above the 
level of the sea; the Gulph of Naples 
is at your feet. That city decorates the 
distant horizon; the Isles of Capri 
and Ischia, which are at its mouth, 
terminate the view on this side, instead 
of being prolonged to a distance, as on 
the other side, over the rich country 
which borders the route from Naples to 
Capua. On the east, the horizon is 
bounded by the blue summits of the 
mountains, and nearer is an immense 
valley formed by Vesuvius and Soinma. 
Vesuvius seems to arise in the bosom of 
a greater volcano which, in a great 
eruption,{that, perhaps, which covered 
Pompeii), drove back to a distance 
every thing which formed its centre ; 
and the circular mountain, called Som- 
ma, which surrounds Vesuvius on one 
of its sides, is the remainder of it. 
But there is another route more cu¬ 
rious, perhaps, and less known : it is by 
the side of Somma. After descending 
five or six hundred feet, you find a kind 
of chimney, eighty-five feet in height, 
and four or five feet in width, at the base; 
at a distance it seems to be constructed 
like a swallow’s nest. It is only a 
swelling of the lava ; the middle of it 
is hollow, and almost entirely cylindri¬ 
cal; under it is an aperture from whence 
the lava escapes, which runs for a 
space of twelve miles towards the plain. 
Under this same chimney exists a 
canal three feet high and four broad, so 
regular, that it seems to be made by 
the hand of man: it is entirely cola. 
I entered it, but having no light, J 
could not penetrate far into this aper¬ 
ture, which seemed to be a secret door 
of the volcano. The declivity then 
becomes les< rapid : you begin to sec 
some 
