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

ERUPTION OF MOUNT VESUVIUS.

The following is an extract of a letter from
Naples, dated May 8 :
" You may conceive my delight this day last week,
the Ist of May, when I came to dine at --, and the
servants told me that Vesuvius had broken out in a vio-
lent state of eruption. I thought the dinner would have
never ended, I was so impatient to go and see it ; how-
ever, at 9 o'clock ordered his carriage, and we drove
to Santa Lucia, which is, you know, the quartiee on the
Vesuvius side. It was a lovely night, without a cloud,
and the moon as bright as in the month of August. As
we turned the Chiatamone there was the mountain
standing out of the plain against the blue starry heavens,
and a broad stream of lava slowly rolling down its
cone, and from the summit a thick cloud of smoke
spread over it in the shape of a gigantic pine tree, the
lower part of which, from the reflected • fire, was red,
while higher up a thick black layer of smoke, with a
white top, lay curling over like the foliage of the tree.
The lava was streaming in one broad flood from about
half way up the mountain's cone, whence, when it got
to the bottom, it seemed, from the ground being less
steep, to crawl along until it reached the edge of the old
crater that forms the vacuum between Vesuvius and
Monte Somma. Here it found itself arrested on the
brink of an abyss some 200 or 300 feet wide ; and, from
the distance we were at, we could see the stream of fire
rushing over like a vast cataract, with immense boulders
of red-hot rocks hurled over, and chasing each other
down until the ground got more even, and the speed
slackened. From this point the lava crept on, but
so slowly that it was difficult to toark its pro-
gress ; and the effect was beautiful as it burned
the trees it met in its course, which flamed
up with a bright blue light like Roman candles.
The reflection of the burning mountain was thrown
across the sea on the very edge of the spot where we
were standing, and formed a lovelycontrast to the beams
of the pale silvery moon as they lit up Capri and the
Sorrento coast. The best remains to be told. pro-
posed going on to Portici to see the eruption nearer.
When we got there I suggested Messina as preferable ;
and, in short, it ended in his taking a donkey we met,
and I walked. So we proceeded, both of us dressed as
we were, in thin evening shoes and light apparel, until
we reached the summit of the mountain, after a severe
tug of two hours. However, we were well repaid, and
I shall never forget the scene, as we stood within a few
yards of the cataract of fire which I mentioned before.
A strong wind blew the smoke over Monte Somma, but
the heat was terrible, for we were pretty near it, of which
you may judge when I tell you that, fautede mieux, I lit a
cigar from the edge of the torrent as it rolled over the edge
of the mountain. We remained there some three hours,
which passed quickly enough, and as we descended the
mountain we were gratified at seeing the eclipse of the
moon, which took place at about 3 o'clock in the morn-
ing, and of which previously we knew nothing. In short
we were very fortunate in the night, for it was the only
one on which the moon had shone since this day last
week. As you may suppose, the lava had made great
progress, and it does not seem to be diminished. I went
again, but to another part, last Saturday night. It was
then threatening a village called San Sebastiani, for it
has already got into the plain, and has destroyed an
infinity of property. I hear to-day that the stream is
600 feet in breadth, and has engulfed three houses.
They have sent firemen to build walls, to try and turn
the direction of the stream. However, that won't do
much good. When I was there last Saturday it was
a curious sight to see the wretched proprietors cut-
ting down their vines and trees to save the wood.
Thousands of people were standing in front of the ad-
vancing flood, for in the plain there is no danger as it
moves about 50 yards in five hours. When it is likely
to cease nobody can tell, as every day the mountain
opens fresh craters, and it is likely to continue to do so.
To-day we have an awful storm, and it is thundering and
lightning and raining torrents, such torrents as are
only seen in Naples. If it clears up and I are
going this evening to see `the village destroyed.' People
talk of it as if they were going to the Surrey Gardens.
However, it is no joke for the owners ; and abrancb stream
ha? made a direction of its own towards a lovely villa be-
longing
to the Marquis St. Angelo, and in all probability
by to-morrow he will have an unpleasant neighbour in his
flower-garden. This is the most popular eruption, they
say, that has ever been known, and all the world goes to
Vesuvius of an evening. The King and Queen went
there the other night, and spent it on the mountain.
The last three or four eruptions have always taken place
on the other side, and consequently have been difficult
to get at, and but little has been seen from Naples.
This one, if it goes on, will do a great deal of damage, as
there are three villages between it and the sea, and the
ground is much cultivated. I shall be able to tell you
more about it in my next letter, as I have not given yon
much of an idea of what a grand sight it is. The fact is,
it would be very difficult to do so, as any description
would fall very far short of the reality. I had heard a
great deal of the effect of eruptions, and pictures repre-
senting them are not scarce, but can assure you that
nothing I had seen or heard gave me the slightest i
idea of what it really is."