The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-06-15 00:00:00

ITALY.

*entre

The Sardinian Senate has passed the Foreign Con-
spiracy Bill, and the amount of £1,600,000 asked by
Count Cavour for the defences of Genoa, has been
voted.
__

The Neapolitan Government is mid to hay.) received
an ultimatum from Great Britain in the Cagliari affair.
It is called upon to pay on demand indemnification for
Park and Watts, or submit the difficulty to mediation
within • limited period. The British Cabinet will also
act with Piedmont in pressing for • release of the Cag-
liari and her crew... - .

ERUPTION OP MOUNT VISUTIUS.—The following
letter, is dated Naples, June 2 :—" For the last few days
we have been favoured by an eruption of Vesuvius on a
grand scale. These volcanic convulsions are now so
frequent, have been so frequently described, and are Bo
much alike, that I do not intend to trouble you with
any long narration. In feet nothing but oolours can
convey the sublime beauty of an eruption of Vesuvius.
When we wake in the morning, every one rushes to the
window; and, gating on the elegant mountain, you dis-
cover • volume of smoke curling upwards in round,
black muses which are ever changing in form as they
melt faintly into the blue shy above, or are played with
by the wind. You bear now and then • little rumbling
in the bowels of the earth, and occasionally • detonating
sound. Like the rest of the world I made a night as-
cent with • party of friends. When we got to the foot
of the mountain no mules were to be had, so there was
nothing left but to walk. Two or three guides, with
lanterns and long sticks, having assured our ' excel-
lenoise ' that it warn only a short walk up to the Hermi-
tage, we all began to ascend • well-m•de carriage road.
At fird we found the surrounding country well culti-
vated; but advancing, we came upon broken ground,
with only 00046:414 *ohs of Tadao and rine. At

last, after an hour's toil, we reached the Hermitaies at
the foot of the old cone. We at once came upon the
centre of the eruption which has broken out between
the ravine which divides the top of Vesuvius and the
other highest points. Imagine • red hot glare seen
through acres of smoke tinted with red light. Then
Picture, periodically, • huge moos of matter, as large ea
a pottage, rising not very rapidly from the fiery mouth
of the earth, and reaching perhaps a 100 feet above, then
more rapidly falling squash like • lump of pitch. The
guide rashes to its edge, and with a iron mould in hand,
thrusts the instrument into the edge of the *oft mass,
and runs book to our party. He opens the mould and
exclaims ' Ecoo ! &collat.'s& ! Foe° 11 It.!' You have
in image of his Majesty Ferdinand 11. in • black sub-
stance, with a strong smell of luoifer matches, and of
metallic touch: You may remain for hours and find
ever varied effects belonging to one's idea of the
infernal regions. An artist was near us sketching some
of these gloomy, grand varieties. But it is impossible
to embrace the issue; impossible to convey the feeling
such a phenomenon produces on the mind of all but the
guides, who, not being a very reflective clams, and hav-
ing so often witnessed eruptions, take no notice of
nature's fiery convulsions. Our guides did nothing
else but count their money, and importune us to eat the
basket of cold food one of them carried up the
mountain. I think we have seen the height of
the eruption, and all will be quiet again ere long. One
stream of lava threatened Amines, but it politely halted
In time. Dr. Lardner, who is in Naples, is, I learn,
employed in writing • long narrative of this eruption.
NAPLES, June s.—The eruption continues with una•
bated energy. Sion its commencement not less than
seven new craters have been opened. The four great
streams of lava continue to be fed by these mouths, and
to descend the slopes of the mountain, varying their
course more or leas, wording to the direction of the
ravines they encounter. The progress of the two
northern streams, which are fed by five craters, is slow,
but continuous. One of these is directed towards a
ravine tailed the Foaso della Veining, and the other
towards the Foaao Grande, and the other stream, which
Is fed by a small crater more recently opened in the
Piano fella Gineetra, has already intercepted the old
road to the Hermitage, thus obstructing the progress of
the numerous visitors, who were able hitherto to arrive
at that point in their carriages. Both the northern and
southern streams have descended already to a very low
point on the mountain, and have become very menacing.
One of these was swelled by the lava issuing from the
seventh crater, opened about noon on Monday last.
, This fiery torrent hes destroyed several properties, eon.
slating of forests, vineyards, and cultivated farms. It
now approaches very near the new road to the Obser-
vatory. The spectacle presented by tin mountain lad
night (Friday) was unusually Imposing. The wind had
swept away the vapour which more or lees obscures the
fires, and the torrents of lava were revealed in all their
terrific splendour. At times the lava fell like a cascade
of liquid fire through a considerable specie, an effect pro.
dined by its encountering • transverse ridge over which
It flowed.