The Express.
London, England, 1855-05-18 00:00:00

ERUPTION OF VESUVIUS.

0101111 TIM SPICIAL

Or 7HZ DAILY

NAPLES, MAY 10.
The lava has now advanced ten miles from its
source, and is doing terrible damage. I have
before me the report of Cozzoliao as to the latest
changes which have taken place about the cone. Just
at the base of it a lake of fire has been formed, which
looks like a red sea in an undulatory state. In the'
very centre of this has opened another crater, which
is throwing out red-hot stones. On the morning of
the 7th, the crater, at the very summit, fired, as it
were, two heavy cannonades ; and after sending forth
lightning, flames, and stones, broke up altogether. In
the middle of the cone ten craters have been formed,
and from these the lava pours forth like a river, and
runs on the side of the Cavallo as far as the Minatore.
'Here four other craters have been formed, which'
throw up bitumen in the manner of pyramids, and
resemble gigantic exhibitions of fireworks. The
whole of the summit of the crater is therefore like a
sponge, and must inevitably fall in. The thin crust
trembles under your feet. You may see the stones
dance with the tremulous movement; the part imme-
diately round the crater looks like the sides of a
heated copper boiler. Such is a true statement
of what is going on on the summit. There
are reports of an opening towards Pompeii,
which is not unlikely, and of another to-
wards Resins, but I have not been up for some
days, as the danger is now very great. Before I
write again I shall make the attempt. Last night I
went to the scene of meet stirring interest, atter au
interval of two days. The whole length of this
usually quiet road was like a fair, and such was the
throng of carriages which were moving on in three
lines, that it was with difficulty we ever arrived at
our destination. As we approached the menaced
neighbourhood the inhabitants were removing their
goods, and on a bridge in the middle of the little
township of Ceroolo (through which in the winter
time thunders down from the summit of Vonteins
one of those mountain rivers so well known in
Italy) stood a company of Sappers. Creeping under
this solid handsome bridge into the bed of the river,
we went up in face of the lava, which was now
coming rapidly down. Here again were Sappers,
raising mounds on either side, to divert the ruin
from some private ground., and keep the lava in one
straight course. The smoke which rose over the heads
of the multitudes told us we were close on the spot, and
climbing up the bank and walking along the top, we
looked down on this mighty mass of fire. How
changed the neighbourhood in two days! Where I
walked on Sunday night was now a sea of fire. The
side road by which I bad come down into the main
stream from Pollens. and Mama di Somme was now
hill of blackened coke. The houses on the borders of
the village had fallen—in one 30 poor people lived ;
a small chapel was swallowed up, a gentleman's
villa, and a sad extent of vineyard and garden
ground. On the other side of the great lava bed
another stream was branching off to San Sebastiano.
We had hoped to have crossed it, sad ascended to the
cascade again, but it was no longer possible; fee, so
one says speaking of a marshy country in the wisher,
the lava was out. The fire here had begun to lOW
the burial-ground of the little town, bat was divested
from its course by a wall. Oa the opposite side of
the stream wore the King and all the royal family.
The bank" en either side were thronged with
curious and anxious multitudes, whose bees were
lighted up with the blaze of hundreds of tombs,'
and with the mare resplendent Same of the rapidly
descending lava. Since the morning it had
a mile. It was like a vast river of glowing sae. As
it moved on, the tens of thormands of leaps rolled
and tumbled one over the other, crackling, and grind-
ing, and grating; and when, from the very hos of
it, a larp lump fell oft the appearance was that of
as iron thrnace when the iron is being drawn. To
make the resemblanes more complete, at sash times
men darted forwards with long poles, taken from the
neighbouring vineyards, and pulled out greet mum
of lava in which they embedded money for sale.
What struck me at first, and still strikes see se the
most majestic feature in the whole scene, is the slow,
silent, irresistible motion of that fiery flood. Active
almighty power without an effort! Swim grog-
thing before it, overcoming every growing
up against intervening walls or houses, and &roar-
ing them bodily, and then marching ea is the same
silent, unreleating, irresistible meaner as before.
There wee a spot beneath my feet where a fall of
mason work bad been built to break the violence of
the winter floods ; to this spot all eyes were directed.
The fiery river would fall over it in an hoar; as
yet it was distant from it seventy yards, per-
haps. Gradually it rose in height, and swelled out
its vast properties', and then vast masses fell off and
rolled forward; then it swelled again as fresh matter
came peeling down behind, and so it broke, sad on
it rolled spin and again till it had arrived at the very
edge. There was a general buzz and murmur civvies.
The royal family stood opposite to me, inters:4
with the crowd, looking on with intense
At last it broke, not hurriedly, still with a
show of majesty. At first a few small lumps fell
down; then poured over a pare liquid of metal, like
thick treacle, clinging sometimes mass to mass, from
its glutinous character, and lest of all tumbled over
gigantic lamps of scoria. Then on it moved ones
more in its silent, regular worse, swelling up and
spreading over the vineyards on either side;
now there was a rush for the road which traverses
this lava-bd. Houses and the bridge bordered the,
road, the carriages had all been ordered off, and the
bridge was being broken down—we were cat off
completely. The sentinels would not Ist us peas, and
struck us and drove us back; but we forced our
way, and then found too surely that it was
mimpossible to get on. The bridge was half de-
olished,and by the light of the torches we could see
the soldiers above working away with the pick and
the axe. We had therefore to retrace our steps, and
making a long circuit through the open country and