1810.) 
but, at four in the afternoon, a frightful 
and continued noise, accompanied with 
frequent explosions, announced a new 
eruption ; the shocks of the volcano were 
so violent, that at Castel Uovo, built 
upon a rock, where [ then was, at the 
distance of near four leagues, I felt os- 
cillations similar to those produced by an 
earthquake, At fiveo’clock the eruption 
commenced, and continued during the 
greater part of the night. This time 
the burning matter flowed down all the 
sides of the mountain, with a force hi- 
therto unprecedented; all Vesuvius was 
on fire, and the Javahas caused the great- 
est losses; houses and whole estates 
have been overwhelmed ; and at this day 
families in tears, and reduced to despair, 
search in vain for the inheritance of their 
ancestors, buried under the destroying 
lava, At ten at night, the hermitage 
was no longer accessible: a river of fire 
had obstructed the road. The districts 
situated on the south-east quarter of the 
mountain were doomed to suffer still 
more. Mount Vesuvius was now but one 
vast flame; and the mariner, at a prodi- 
gious distance, might contemplate at 
leisure this terrific illumination of nature. 
The scarcity of oil at Venice, in 1807, 
occasioned by the destruction of the olive- 
trees, during the war, led to the intro- 
duction into that state of the Chinese 
radish, which has, of late, been cuiti- 
vated there with great success. The oil 
is represented to be superior to any al- 
ready known, not merely for the table, 
but for burning, and many medica! pur- 
poses, especially in pulmonary and rheu- 
matic affections, and in pleurisies and 
convulsive coughs. 
AFRICA, 
A letter from St. Michael, one got the 
Azores, dated August 24, gives the fol- 
Jowing account of the destructive effects 
of an earthquake, lately experienced in 
that island. ‘“* One of those dreadful 
phenomena never. witnessed = in your 
country, has plunged many here in un- 
speakable wretchedness and afiliction, 
and continues to occasion great terror to 
all the inhabitants of this island. On 
the 11th of August, at ten P, M, slight 
shocks of an earthquake were felt at-in- 
tervals of a few minutes for four hours. 
‘During this time the inhabitants, under 
the influence of alarm for their personal 
safety as well as property, were running 
to and fro in the greatest distress. Be- 
‘tween two and three a dreadful rocking 
was experienced throughout the whole 
Montuty Mac. No. 206. 
Literary and Philosophical Intellig Zences 
retired to the elevated ground, 
6451 
island ; several houses, unable to resist 
its violence, were thrown down, aiid 
many others were greatly damaged ; and 
such persons as sought safety in the open 
air were dashed to the ground. Hitherto 
the calamity had been confined in its 
effects, and though great injury had been 
sustained; we had to convratulate’ our- 
selves on the loss of few lives ; but we 
were yet to witness a most dreadful spec= 
tacle. On the 12th at mid-day, a hollow 
rumbling sound was heard, the clouds 
gathered, and the wind was hushed into 
silence; the rocking returned, and in a 
few minutes after, the village of Cozas, | 
situated on a plain, comprising twenty- 
two houses, was swallowed up, and in 
the spot where it stood a lake of boiling 
water gushed forth, Many of the un- 
fortunate inhabitants, who had previously 
beheld 
the sight with a degree vof horror and 
amazement, which enchained all their. 
faculties; their whole property swept 
away in afew minutes, and in the place 
where their once beautiful gardens and 
flourishing orchards stood, nought now 
appeared but a yast expanse of water. 
About thirty-two persons, it 1s calcula- 
ted, have lost their lives by this awful 
and calamitous event, and cattle and 
property to a eonsiderable amount are de- 
stroyed. A great degree of alarm con- 
tinues to pervade the whole island, as on 
‘the east side an orifice has beer disco« 
vered, resembling the crater of a volcano, 
and out of which flames occasionally 
burst. Hitherto they have been unac- 
companied by any ejection of volcanic 
matter.” 
RAST INDIES. 7 
In the evening of April 8, two sue- 
cessive shocks of an earthquake were 
distinctly felt in Calcutta and its vicinity. 
The time was between twenty and twens 
ty-five minutes past seven, and the du- 
ration of each succession was estunated 
at from six to thirty seconds. The vi- 
brations appeared at first to pass in.a 
‘line from north-east to south-west, and 
then to return in an opposite direction. 
Reports from various stauons.in the lower 
parts of Benval, as far up-as’ Moorshedas 
bad, mention the occurrence of a similar 
phenomenon, nearly at the same hour. 
By a letter from Ramnucer, the vibra- 
tion is stated to have been felt there at 
half-past seven, and to have continued 
for an unusually long time. At Guitaul, 
the ‘shock was distinctly repeated 
thrice. i 
LiSt 
3M 
