The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-10-31 00:00:00

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1

kRUP77ON OP ErfA.

lids esSoirlag Copy on a knee fres a British Wane ht
With 101111610011* oartiesdar occowiltit the lest Erie-
time( Moat Etsa titan we have saysillerel wet with
soussitis, Anna. 24, 1209.
On the morning of the 27th March, about iseveu
'o'clock, advice. of an eruption of ritria were con-
'repod hither, by a very swift courser•Ato cloud of
black takes front the momitaiu top, which is fifty
miles distant, in a Straight line. These ashes, home
iso a heed gale of wind, showered into the town iu
ouch quantities, that several cart loads might have
been collected flora the greets and house-tops.
They resembled guii-pnwdit ; so much so, indeed,
that an Irish soldier, iu the
.citadel, called out,
to slced' and turf ! the wind has forced open the
magazine doors, and here's all the powder blowing
about the barracks."
Soon after day-light, an awful bellowing end
horizontal shaking of the mountain excited a gene-
ral alarm among the inhabitants of its vast regions.
Uncertain Where the calamity might fall, many de-
serted their houses. This shock was immediately
Succeeded by a furious eruption of ashes from the
great crater, which formed immense clouds, cud
covered an amazing extent of country. So violent
was the discharge, that, iu spite of the gale. a vast
quantity overspread the country, many miles to
vitodmord of the spot whence they issued.
On trite evening of the same day, an eruption of
lava took place at a short distance below. whose
terrible stream flowed down the mountain about
three miles, and then divided into two branches.
This volcano soon ceased burning, and another
broke out next day, with greater fury than the
former, about five miles lower down, at a place
called Monte Nero. This one displayed three
vest colnrous of flame and smoke, and Ono lava ex-
tended, in a few days, across the woody region, to
the_distanee of three or four leagues. Hitherto we
have heard of no guide hold enough to conduct
the curious teat:tiler as far as either of these erup-
tions, because of the, vast and deceitful heaps of
snow and ashes scattered about the two upper re-
gions of the mountaiii; nor has any permit), I be-
lieve, been as yet so rash as to asceild higher than
one which broke out two hours after the lire: ahmn,
shout t solve guiles below Monte Negro, and eight
west of Lingua Grosse. a town 011 the north-cast
side, near the foot of Etua. This eruption lino
formed a row of craters. within a space of abotit
two miles ; forming, with the others, an irregular
line. running in a north-east direction, from the
too of the mountain.
From the shark bosom of • wood of tall firs and
huge oaks. spread over steep craggy hills and
valleys, conceive bloke craters or mouth... n„,
•ceasingly, and the rest at intervals, with a ',tam.
like a tremendous OUP 115 of • ,venal thous mil ran-
sonb muskets, and disrlaarging flame
end showers of bunting roeks of various forme and
all usagnitades, from several ye* in diameter
down to the smallest pebble, which, according to
their weight and bulk, ascend from 205 to WOO
forts—The two fore-mentioued craters (or rather
double crater) the lowest of the raw down the
mountain, formed the principal übject of this awful
sod maguiticent scow—they were the only craters
which did not seem to labour. Their joint emis-
sions had encmitpasied them with a black oblong
hill of ashes nod lava atones ; thirty )arals uleive
the wind) their noiugling flames furiously
i d, in one immense Waite, wiiieh seemed
100 yards in breadth. Amidst this blaze, 544
*boom of rocks, using and falling, were coottittu-
ally passing each other. About the middle of the
whole line °Congers was pit uated one, which laboar-
-4 the most, and made the loudest, the heaviest, the
fic4hort, and most dengeirms ilischargew; from
the rocks of which our patty twice uarro“ty escap-
ee. one or van of very considerable 61.40
*Wail a puce of us.--4 thick the 1111/11 fiaAlad only
from a few of the chief craters, particularly the
double one. Doting the einiNsirms of rucks and
Same, the Imitiou matter was area in sin., undo.
latiag waves, " through the aides, clare to the'
bottom of the black lnlls of usher. Tloe double
crater appeared completely isolated by the lava of
.the others. Just beloW it, all the lavas uniting,
formed one grand strewn of Cations breadths, from
Isidro aisle yar I-, which, leaving the tir wood.
pursued its destructive course down it rocky part of
the Mountain, interspersed with oaks ; until, about
five miles below the double crater, it mitered sonic
vineyards, after• dividing into two branches, the
principal one of which advancing a mile farther, di-
: reedy threutened the house aileron Carri. Withio
200 yards °NI:* house, it entered m hollow way,
which, it was hoped. would turn its .course; but,
going on, according to the direction of the impel-
ling flood behind, its loose rocks rolling of the
1144111 body, soon tilled up the !mind ravine. and
formed a causeway fur itself to pass. The other
branch took the direction of Lingua Gruseti, acid ar-
rived very wear the Baron Cagootie's house, whose
inhabitants, as well as those of the town, were
trembling for their property, when the eruption
erased.
The stream sometimes branched ar, and joined
again, formiug islands as it flowed along. Some-
times its banks were formed by the sides of 'mines;
hint where the country was open, it formed its own,
which, from the porous nature of the lava, imbibed
the cool air. and soots hardened into Id ock and
lofty looks of many net iu thickness. It gradually
tluckened is advancing, until about four miles from
the crater, when it began to assume the appear:owe
of a vast ragged moun.l of black rocks, or stones
bud cinders, moving almost imperceptibly
daylight, the poem, appearance of this amaz-
ing stream, or moving Inwood, woos black.and might
be compared to a long tract of ploughed ground,
moving and smoking oolong, raised on banks boon
fifteen to forty feet high. The and ail. heater,
prevented a buid front of vivid tire, shout fifteen or
sixteen feet high. and eighty paces in exteut.—
While it moved forward in a body, the loose stones
end cinders presenting less resistanee,to the stream
behind. impelled in a contimaalsoccession from the
top, rolled cracking down its yongh sloping sides
and front. advancing 'before the main body, fond
loarning the grass, the weeds, and the grape vines,
bite light troops skitmishing on the front and
*mks of an army marching in solid column.
I inner saw a painting which gave any thing like
• comet idea of lavas yet it appears no difficult
look. I could discern nothing of the Said part of
the *twain ; yet, said somewhat cooled, by Sotto