The Sun.
London, England, 1830-09-10 00:00:00

WEYSIOLITII RACES. „
WKIMISDAir, Sal. S.—}llll Wajohty'o Plato lat 100 gw.
Two miles.

Mr. Biggs"ryke 1 i
Mr. W. Ley's Omen .. 2
Mr. Wreford's IJpas
The Mayor's Plate of 50 soya. fleata, two mile*,
Mr. Biggs' Whisk .. 4,4
Mr. W. Ley's Offillus 4 2'''`'`
Mr. Ilobart's Cornelisn
'rho Gordon Plate of DO sots. Heats, two tulle,
Mr. Stent's Whirlwind
Mr. Humphrey's Holloway ^ "Jr"
Mr. Seutt's Southberry ••••v4 't
CURRAGH SEPTEMBEi MEETING.
KILDARK, Stem. 7.—The Anglesetil Stakes, of 10 soya.
each, with 50 added. Anglevea post.,
Mr. J. Kelly's eb. c. by Langer
Sir John llyng's colt
Mr. Blake's c, by Byros •••••40.4••• A. 3
Mr. W. Kelly's gr. e. by Muter Robert ... 1,
Captain Gamble's Holston ,
Sweepstakes of 25 soya. 0441.
Mr. J. Kelly'. alt. c. by Loom ~ 1
Mr. W. Kelley's gr. e. by Master Roberf,, 2

iCE PRESERVED By '11,E,401'
A remarkable discovery has latelt* kr/0
on Etna of a great mass of ice, prqsene Air'
many years, perhaps for centuries, frormois na,
by the singular event of a current of rudihot, am
having flowed over it. The following ~are Alm
facts in attestation of a phenomenon whichitnust
at first sight appear of so paradoxical ' iiitharac.
ter. The extraordinary heat experienced in the
south of Europe, during the 'sum mer and
autumn of 1828, caused the supplies of snow
and ice which had been preserved in the spring
of that year for the use of Catania and the ad.
joining parts of Sicily and the island of Malta,
to fail entirely. Considerable distresa was felt
for the want of a commodity regarded in these
countries as one of the -necessaries of life rather
than an article of luxury, and on the abundance
of which in some late cities the salubrity of the
water and the general health of the comtnueity
is said in some degree to depend. The magi;...
Crates of Catania applied to Signor M. (ions,.
mellaro, in the hope that his local knowledge of
Etna might enable him to point out some ell).
vice or natural grotto on the 'mountain, where
drift snow was still preserved.; Nor were they
disappointed ; for he had long suspected that
a small mass of perennial ice at the foot of
the highest cone was part of a larger and con:
tinuous glacier covered by a lava-current.—
Having procured a large licitly Of work-
men, he quarried into tins ice, and proved
the super-position of the lava ,for several
hundred yards, so as completely to satisfy
himself that nothing but the subsequent flowing
of the lava over the ice could account fur the,
position of the. glacier. Llofortunately for the
geologist, the ice was so extremely hard, and the,
excavation so eipensive, that there is no wait,
bility of the operations being renewed. , Cap the:'
Ist of December, 1828,1 visited this spot, -which
is on the south-east side of the cone, and not
fur above the Casa Inglese, but the fresh snow
had already nearly filled up the new opening, so
that it had only the appearance of the mouth of
a grotto. Ido not, however, question the accu-
racy of the conclusion of Signor G=lll.lloo,
who being well acquainted; with all the sipisivw-
ances of drift snow in the fissures and verities of
Etna, had recognised, even before the late wit-
vationa, 'the peculiarity of the position of the ice,
in this locality. We may suppwe that, at the,
commencement of the eruption a deep mass of`
drift snow had been covered by volcanic, sand
showered down upon it before the descent of
the lava. A dense stratum of this fine dust
mixed with scoria' is well known to be an excel•
lent non-conductor of boat, and may thu, have
preserved the snow from complete fusion when
the burning flood poured over it, The shed:.;
herds in the higher regions taf Etiiir are LICOI4O.
Wined to provide an annual store af lIIIWN to
supply their florks with water in the summermot,ttis, months, by simply strewing over the snow in
the spring a layer of volcanic sand a few
inches tbic, which eftectually prevents the sun
from penetrating. Whets lave had once colo7l
a
lidated
c)
over a glacier at the height' of 10.
feet above the level of the sea, we may rt.,,,Bit,y
conceive that the ice would endure as long 4,2, the
sPoWs of Mont Blanc, unless melted by volonio
heat from below. When I visited the great
crater in the beginning of winter (December I,
18i118)1 k found the crevices in the intoior en-
crusted with thick ice, and in some eases hot
vapours WON streaming out between 'MUM i'""'
and the rugged and steep walls cif the erater.---/
ii.dr. n/. .....,,,