The Sun.
London, England, 1805-10-03 00:00:00

EXTRACT OF LETTPR.

" Yesterday, .at ten o'clock at night, the eruption,
of Vesuvius, of which the earthynake teemed to. be
the forerunner, took,plAce. „We. were going to visit
the Crater, when the cries ofthepeople,,,and a ‘vo.
Lime of flame, infortred 44.4 ..tbe vpicimo..bad
.
opened. The lava precipitated itself, in three',.se-
'conclf., from, the last peak of the Yogntain, andtook
a direaion towards the valley situated between'Torre
del Greco
sand Torre, 'del l'Annuziata; two_towns on
the sea coast beyond Portici, and seven or eight miles
from Naples..
6' We set off.immecliately to see this wonderful
and .tremendous phcepornenon.' nearer. From .the
place of our 'departure .we, saw the whole, course .of
the lava, .which.- extended already two miles from
ihe crater to the houses,lhatioin. the two towns-
The" sight was the mostinagnificently.tfrightful that
could be seen. I contemplated the cascades of flame
pouting from the top of the mountain; and shud-
dered; at seeing 'an immense torrent of 'fire' ravage
the finest fields, -overthrdvi houses; and destroy, in
a few minutes, the hopes and resources' of a hundred
families.

" A line o c marthe profile of the moun-
tainked
; a cloud of smoke, which seemed to send forth,
from time to time, flashes of lightning, hung ()er' the
scene,,` and the moon appeiired to be pale. Nothing
can adequately describe the grandeur of
,the keene,
or give an adequate idea of the horror of it. As we
approached the spa, ravaged, by Allis river of hell,
ruined inhabitants having quitted their houses—deso-
lated families trying to save their thrniture or pro-
visions, last and; feeble resource--an immense crowd
of curious persons, retreating, step by Step, froM the
advancing lava, and testifying, by extraordinary cries,
their wonder, fear, and pity---the frightful bellowing
of th 6 mountain, the frequent, explosions :which
burst, front the bosom of the torrent,, the crackling
-of the 'trues the
by ,the flames, the noise of
the -walls falling; and the lugubrious 'sound of a bell,
which .the Religious o'f the Camaldales, isolated on
a little hill, and: surrounded by two torrents of fire,
rang in their .distress. Such 'are the details of,the
frightfill'Scefie to w I wag WitneSs."
•
ccThe moinent we arrived, the lava was crossing
thegreat road Mow' Torre der,,Q-reCo.'' To see It.
better, we got into 4 beautiful house on the rt-,d-,
sidei. and froM the tett* we saw the fire
than fifteen lace 4 frOin us; in a m:nute;%ie"gecend:-
ed, and,, ‘0 Minutes atierwards, there rettritined •of,
the' hOuse but three large walls:" appycia4lted as
near as the heat and flow of the current would per-
mit me. I .attempted, at different tirtieSto burn
the end of my handkerchielin it.; I could Only do it
by tying it
,to. the end of my cane. "I' lie laVa dies
not run in liquid waves : it resenibles aft intiuetise
giantitY of coals on fire, which an invincible ~ty,,ogtri
had heaped tip.and- puilied on with violence.. When
it Met a wall, it Collecled to the heiglit dfse.Cen'
or tin feel, burned it, and overthrew it at. once. I
saw some :Walls red-hot, like iron, incl Melt, it
I may t.Th e the e;,:pressiott, into the lava. In its'
greatest speed, and on au horizontal raid, Yi.ackoneti,,
thatthe torrent travelled at the rate of. eighteen
inches a minute. its sntell resembled that.,of iron
'red hot." ' •