The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-14 00:00:00

THE ERUPTION OF VESUVIUS.

A letter dated Naples, Feb. 8, says—The disaster
in Santa Lucia has so completely absorbed our at-
tention for the last fortnight, that the principal
agent in causing the misfortune bas excited little
notice, and yet Vesuvius, in spite of Reuter's in-
telligence that it had fallen, has been almost as
active and brilliant as at the commencement of its
eruption. It has assumed different phases at in-
tervals, increasing and decreasing, so that the
approaching termination of the spectacle has been
announced more than once ; still the mountain con-
tinues with unwearied energy to astonish the nume-
rous visitors who have crowded into Naples. About
the time I wrote to you last on this subject, the
oracle of the Observatory declared that Vesuvius
had nearly arrived at the end of its demonstrations
or was entering on a new phase. The prophecy,
was a safe one, being equivalent to say that
Nuvieirgeht
of detona-
tionsNlaovalverehbeeardsa—idnoon
feriatghmerensitdse.
thrown out--a portion of the summit of the cone
n ueh
had fallen in, and the upper
part of the mountain
was covered with sublimates of common salt.

Three or four days elapsed, during which the lava
declined in the rapidity of its course, when about
the night of the 21st the roarings of the mountain
were again heard most distinctly in Naples. Slight
shocks of earthquake occurred on several succes-
sive nights, which were felt very sensibly in Naples,
and the lava, which was more copious, unable any
longer to enter the passage through which it had
hitherto burrowed, had to commence its course over
the indurated bed. For some time it continued
towards the right, as seen from Naples, and shortly
after descended on the left, in the direction of the
Observatory. These streams were continually
augmented by fresh supplies of material, but their
course is comparatively short, as in intervals of re-
pose they become indurated, and they have to
begin again from the summit. As day after day
passed on, the instruments showed au increase of
magnetic agitation ; the lava flowed much more
copiously, until on the night of the 28th of January
the intensity and extent of the eruption were
greater than they had been for some time. The
whole of the upper part of the mountain, from the
summit to the base of the cone, was covered with
red-hot lava, presenting a most stupendous spec-
tacle, and attracting a crowd of visitors, among
whom were the Duke and Duchess of Aosta. I

note this night in particular, for it was that on
which the great calamity befel Santa Lucia. It
corresponded with the increased action of the
mountain, and though many who have been un-
conscious of them may be sceptical of the fre-
quent recurrence of earthquakes they are no less
a fact, unless science has erred and the many who
have felt them have been mistaken. What effect
these continued oscillations must have on buildings
and mountains of tufa-sand I leave you to judge.
The same inconsistency which has marked the history
of this eruption continued to distinguish it till the
end of the month. " The instruments of the Ob-
servatory pass from a state of almost perfect inac-
tion to an activity which may be called feverish,"
said Palmieri on the 30th of January. On the 3d of
February there was an interval of comparative re-
pose ; the lava ran with less vivacity, and the in-
struments were calmer, but on the next day
there was a considerable increase—the cone began
to mutter, and the activity of the sismograph
indicated that yet greater quantities of lava
were to be thrown out. Between the sth and
6th there were three shocks of earthquake, and a
gentleman who ascended the cone halfway up told
me that the ground trembled beneath him. On these
nights the visitors had the choice of two roads, for
while one stream ran towards the Piano delle
Ginestre, another pursued the direction of the Cro-
celle, to which spot the image of St. Januarius will
be borne in a month or two, as is the annual cus-
tom. The spectacle increased in grandeur to the
6th and 7th instant. The thunders of the cone
were stronger, so strong, indeed, as to shake the
windows of Torre del Greco, while slight shocks of
earthquake were registered by the sismograph, and
so the state of the mountain continues at the pre-
sent moment. With the cessation of the heavy
rains of the latter part of January the fumarole
(smoke holes) of the lava have again been deco-
rated with white, yellow, and green sublimates, in
which, besides common salt, copper and lead pre-
dominate. You may imagine, therefore, the at-
tractions which the mountain presents. Crowds
visit it every night, for Naples is full of visitors;
and the splendid weather which has set in, and the
moon which shines above us almost as brilliant as
your sun, make the trip to Vesuvius a most
agreeable excursion.

SIR W. ARMSTRONG.—Sir W. G. Armstrong has
been made a Knight Commander of the Order of San
Maurizio e Lazzaro by his Majesty the King of Italy, in
recognition of his services as an artillerist, and as the con-
sequence of the definitive adoption of his ordnance for the
itAlian naval eervica.