1802.] Account ofa Defcent into the 
The half of the Height next the fumnnit 
is compofed chiefly of pure afhes, but 
coarfer than our common athes, \Till the 
prefent time, there have been twenty-four 
eruptions recorded in hiftory.. The firft 
took place in the year 79 after the Chrif- 
tian zra: by thefe eruptions, volcanic 
matters have been fucceffively accumulat-— 
ed, but by that of 1779 the fituation of: 
the crater and of the aperture was entirely 
changed. The focus or crater is now 
funk 200 feet below the upper edges of 
the mouth of the volcano, 
To arrive at the crater, and to obferve 
the numerous fpiracles, long crevices, 
and fires which iffue from them in‘feverai 
places, and alfo the variegated and fill 
dmoking, matters of which the érater is 
compofed, it was neceflary to pals over 
this {pace of 200 feet. 
The inner fides of the volcano are 
nearly perpendicular, or exceedingly ‘teep, 
and compofed of afhes, lava, and large 
calcareous ftones ;. but thefe lava and 
ftones, as they form no conneétion with 
the afhes, caunot ferve as any point of 
fupport ; and when any one is fo impru- 
dent as to adhere to this kind of rock, 
the leaft motioa, the leat difplacement of 
any part, makes the whole crumble to 
pieces. Betides, from the fummit of Ve- 
fuvius to the crater, the declivity, being 
exceedingly rapid, cannot be traverfed 
buton all fours, and fuffering yourfelf to 
glide down amidft a torrent of afhes and 
lava. But the moft dangerous obftacles 
are thofe awful excavations, which cannot 
be paffed over without great trouble and 
dificulty. ; fing 
Difregarding the terror with which the 
Neapolitans endeavoured to infpire us, 
after having received their adieus, as if. 
our féparation had been likely to, be eter- 
nal, we fet out in a carriage, at half after 
eleven at night, on the 13th of July, from 
the hotel of the. French Ambaflador, 
fourteen in number, furnifhed with ropes 
and other articles which we. fuppoted 
might be neceffary, and allina ftate of the 
higheft fpirits, which never forfook us, 
even at times of the molt imminent dan- 
ger. We arrived about midnight at the 
toot of Vefuvius ; and, having quitted our 
carriage mounted well-experienced mules, 
and proceeding one after'the other, with 
Adjutant Dampierre at ous head, amidit 
the thick darknefs of ‘night,’ reached 
half way to the fteep fummit ‘of © the 
mountain. 
guides, and their lighted torches gave to 
our expedition a mytterious and {olemn 
one 
- 
We had a numerous body of ' 
Crater of Mount Vefuvius. 51S 
air, which formed’a ftriking contrat with 
‘the mirth and gaiety of the company. 
Wheii we had-afcended about half way, 
we were obliged to alight, and to clam- 
ber, up the fteepeft and moft difficult part 
of Vefuvius, wading throagh the afhes up 
to the knees, till, exhaufted. with fatigues 
and covered with fweat, we reached the 
fummit at half palt two in the morning, 
The firft thing that ftruck us, as foon 
as the morning began todawn, was a moft 
magnificent {pectacle—a fuperb view of 
the'city and port of Naples, the beutiful 
hills which furreund them, and the vatt 
extent of the fea by which they are wafh= 
ed. After walking round part of the 
aperture of the volcano, that we might | 
choofe, the moft commodious place for de- 
{fcending, Adjutant Dampierre and C. 
Wickar frft defcended, without any acci- 
dent, at the determined point. When 
they had got about a third of the way, 
they were fuddenly flopped by an excava~ ° 
tion of. fifty feet, which it was neceflary 
topafs. Asthey found that it was impoflible 
to obtain any fixed: point of fupport on 
athes fo moveable, and being convinced 
that the friftion of, ropes would have foon 
deftroyed both the point of fupport and 
the neighbouring maffes to a great dif. 
tance, they refolved to return.’ Befides, 
while deliberating onthemeans of defcend- 
ing, fome ftones rolling down from the 
fummit occafioned a general agitation 
wherever they, paffed: Adjutant. Dam- 
pierre found the ground on which he ftood 
fhake beneath his feet; and he had fcarcely 
quitted it, calling out to C. Wickar to 
follow him, when it difappeared. Soon 
after, indeed, the whole place where they 
had. ftood, and all the neighbouring finall 
eminences, crumbled down fucceflively, in 
the courfe af half an hour, and were pre- 
cipitated to the bottom of the crater with’ 
an awful noife. 
Before we renounced our enterprife to 
return to Naples, dejected on account of 
not having fucceeded, we once more walk. 
ed round the mouth of the- crater, and at 
laft difcovered a long declivity, pretty 
fmooth, though very fteep, which con- 
ducted to the focus, Without examining 
the precipices, which it might be neceflary 
to pafs before it could be reached, C.. De- 
beer, the ambaffador’s fecrctary,. accom- 
panied by a Lazzaroni, fet out firft to - 
attémpt the paflage. When they had got.’ 
hals-way, amidft atorrent of afhes, which 
the impreffion of their fect made to roll 
down along with them, they found means to 
fix themiclves on the edge of a precipice, 
. . twelve 
