The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-20 00:00:00

ERUPTION OF MOUNT ETNA.

(Extract from a letter, dated Palermo, Dec. 1.)
The day before yesterday,l passing along the Ma-
rina, or public walk that skirts the exquisitely beau-
tiful bay of Palermo, and casting my eye over the
range of the Madonian mountains, and beyond the
picturesque hills of Termini, I saw resting above the
snowy ridge of hoary-headed old Etna (which lies
literally east of sunrise from here) a long line of
feathery whitish cloud, which, from its peculiar tree-
like shape, I knew at once to be smoke from the vol-
cano. Accordingly towards night, when the sun had
dropped down into the bay of Mondello, a deep-red
lurid glare became distinctly visible at the foot of the
column of smoke, and all the world was then aware
that the volcano was in active operation.
This has continued ever since, dimly discernible by
day in a pillar of cloud of that peculiar form which an
eye, experienced in eruptions, instantly perceives to
be the vapour from a crater—and more conspicuous
by night in a body of deep-red fire, of the apparent
size of an ordinary haycock, but brightening and less-
ing fitfully with the swells and lulls of the blast of
the fiery furnace. -
Telescopes have been much in requisition of nights,
since Tuesday, and many persons say they see the
showers of red hot rocks rising and falling in the air
above the crater, but I myself have as yet seen
nothing more than what I have described above, and
this much is as clearly visible to the naked eye as is
the outline of the Surrey hills from the cockney moun-
tain of Highgate.
The air-line distance of Mount Etna from Palermo
(which in the vulgar vernacular is commonly called
the distance as the crow flies) is above ninety English
iles, and to any one unfamiliar with the marvellous
ranslucency of the Sicilian atmosphere it might seem
almost incredible that a mere smoke in the air could
be discerned a hundred miles off; yet true it is that
never when on board a steamer have I seen the smoke
out of its own chimney more plainly when the smut
was falling on my own very nose than I see from
hence the column rising out of old Vulcan's chimney
on Mount Etna.

To-day I watched it, from the rocky heights of
Belmonte, for an how or more before sunrise. At
first, while quite dark, only the fire was visible, like
a great bonfire, or furze burning on a mountain top,
save that it was in colour of a deeper red. But with
the first faint touches of the coming day the smoke
became gradually visible, and more and more distinctly
marked, streaming along due north, till it stood over
the islets of Volcano and Lipari, where it brought up
with a round turn, as we tell the Marines, and thence
swept
,away eastward towards the further Calabria.
As the rosy tints of the rising sun came up behind
the smoke or vapour (which, by the way, is much
more steam than smoke), it was illuminated with the
ruddy light, and assumed the gorgeous appearance of
a prodigious blazing cloud, flaming in the forehead of
the eastern sky, until it gradually faded into the light
of common day. At this time, too, the delicately pen-
cilled crescent of the waning moon became indistin-
guishable from the brightened light of the surrounding
sky; but the volcanic vapour soon again became vi-
sible, stretching its fantastic but exquisitely pic-
turesque form along the horizon, in the tamer cha-
racter of cloud-like smoke, and much resembling
the cloud vomited forth from the funnel of a gi-
gantic steamer.

- As you may not be aware of the precise shape of a
crater, I think it as well to tell you that it is exactly
like the washhand basin in the dressing cabin of the
said steamer, when the stopple at the bottom is pulled
out to let off the water you have used in washing.
The basin itself resembles the crater, commonly so
called, at the very bottom of which is the huge funnel-
shaped bottomless pit, that spouts forth smoke and
steam, white hot stones, black mud, grey ashes, and
streams of many-coloured lava. The outer basin,
commonly called the crater, or cup, as aforesaid,
varies in different volcanoes from a hundred yards to
a quarter of a mile deep. The depth of the fiery
funnel itself Empedocles (of mortals) only knows,
and ho, though he threw back his slipper, by way of
wishing the world good luck, never returned to tell.
The height of Etna is the best ascertained of any
lofty mountain in the world. Cacciatore, the pre-
sent Astronomer Royal at Palermo, and our coun-
trymen, Sir John Herschell and Captain Smyth,
the celebrated trigonometrical surveyor, by processes
entirely independent of and unknown to each other,
all fixed it at 10,874 feet English, not differing a
fathom in the three computations. So exact a coin-
cidence, in a case in which several compensations had
to be allowed for, must necessarily have been partly
accidental ; but, as Dr. Wollaston said of it, the acci-
dent was one upon which no three fools could by any
possibility have stumbled. It is worth observing that
Etna, which is more than twice as high as Vesuvius
(about twice and a half), has not half so large a cone
of clinkers and ashes at the top, nor is its crater any-
thing like so large or deep as that of Vesuvius, which
latter is in fact quite a model volcano, as if made for
show. Generally, in volcanos, the height of the cone
and depth of the crater are in the inverse ratio of the
whole heights of the mountains to which thy belong.
It would seem as if the expansive forces within the
volcano, having a greater vertical height to work
through before they reach the surface, either do not
eject the scoriae and ashes so far, or in so groat quan-
tity, or perhaps both these circumstances combine to
been
render the :hollow conical cup at the top small in
diameter and shallow in depth in proportion as the
undiminished general elevation of eachfirs t volcanic
has
visible greater.
at
Pa-
lermo
moment The present
flaming
brilliancy (it is at this
and grandeur) is the
since 1832. Intelligence travels slowly in
Sicily, and we have not yet had any authentic advices
from the scene of action. The weather is indescrib-
ably delicious, like a May of the best quality in Eng-
land. Sitting on the rocks the cold hour before sun-
rise this morning was perfectly pleasant. The flowers
and many fruit trees are in full bloom, and the newly-
dropped lambkins are frisking in the fields. E. J.
P.S. I have just seen a letter from Riposto, within
fifteen miles of the crater. The hurly-burly began
its pother on Sunday night. The smoke that after-
noon, and the drying up of the springs, betokened
that Enceladus was getting fidgetty; and in the dead
of the night the mountain heaved and quivered like
the midships of a three-decker, when she pours her
first broadside into the ribs of the enemy. A roar
succeeded louder than a thousand train of artillery,
and myriads of red hot rocky fragments shot up to the
heavens. No lava had yet begun to flow. Many
persons here saw, or thought they saw, it floating
down the flanks of the mountain to-day; but, as I do
not tax my imagination for my facts, on this head
I can at present tell you nothing. But you may—
With fancy speed on golden wing,
To sunny climes of classic lore;
Where poets touched the trembling string,
And still delighted shepherds sing
On Italy's enchanted shore !
Sicilia's vales shall greet thine eyes
Where Etna's fires sublimely rise,
Tinging the evening skies with flame !
Or midnight glories widely shed
In grand—yet soul-subduing dread—
Or hide in clouds his towering head
From young Aurora's purple shame !

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS.—At
the second meeting of the session, held last night,
Mr. George Godwin, Fellow, read an essay on the
architecture and history of
Tournay Cathedral, a
building of considerable extent, and striking cha-
racter, which is but little known. It is about the
same extent as Salisbury Cathedral, and has fine
towers of large size. The transept terminates at each
end in a semi-circular absis of great beauty, inter-
nally. Monsieur Dumortier, a member of the Bel-
gic Chamber, ascribes the name and transept to the
6th century, but Mr. Godwin showed that they were
probably not older than the 11th century. The choir
was rebuilt at the
noble specimen of pointed architecture. Restorations
end of the 12th century, and is a
at the national
expense are now going on. Mr.
Hosking continued his paper on the Church of St.
to which we have already alluded. John Shaw, Esq.,
Mary, Redcliffe Bristol, and its proposed restoration,
was in the chair, ,
and the meeting was numerously
attended.

CHRISTMAS IN
.rfliDEN.—The period of the festi-
vities of Christmas
the 6th of Januar , which continues in Sweden till
custom of knocking
ings ; presents are
the peace of Chri
Y., is dedicated to universal rejoic-
made, the receivers of which are
required to guess the givers ; the people have also a
On the 24th of December a crier solemnly proclaims
at each other's doors at this season.
the punishment of all offences against social order is
double that incurred at any other period of the year.
of the peace of Christmas is a cus-
tom This proclamation as (Julafred) ;in virtue of this,
'of great antiquity, and extends over the whole
kingdom, and nothing is suffered to disturb the tran-
quillity of the season, Symbols of this rite are to be
discovered on the old Runic stones. .<
CHARTIST . MEET/N-s
or —Last night a number of
district meetings were held in and about the metro-
polis, having for their object the election of delegates
to represent the various localities at the Conference to
be held on Tuesday next in Birmingham, which has
been called by Mr. Joseph Sturge.
The principal
meetings were held in the National Association Hall,
Holborn ; the Old Bailey, Turnagain-lane, West-
minster, and Walworth.
CHRISTMAS.—We are informed that the house of
Leaf, Coles, Smith, and Old 'Change, intend
making next Monday a close Co.,ay, in consequence of
Christmas-day falling on a Sunday. In many coun-
try towns requisitiens have been got up to the chief
local authority to sanction the making of that day a
holiday for the working classes ; in most of these
cases the idea has been gladly acted up to, and it is
probable that next Monday will be a day of general
rejoicing and abstinence from labour.

GREAT LEAGUE FUND.--The ADDRESS
of the NATIONAL ANTI-CORN-LAW LEAGUE
to the Inhabitants of the Metropolis, of the date of the 13th
instant, calls upon the citizens of London and the Metropolis
generally, to organise and assemble in public meetings, to sub-
scribe, and otherwise aid the League, in their public-spirited
exertions to promote FREE TRADE, and to accomplish the abo-
lition of the Corn and Provision-laws.

To give effect to these objects, a distinct Association and
separate Provisional Committees have been formed for the
Metropolis ; one Committee for the City, and another for the
other districts of London.
These Committees will sit daily
At the Guildhall Coffee House :

JOHN TRAVERS, Esq., Provisional Chairman and Treasurer.
G. H. HEPPEL, Esq., Secretary and Sub-Treasurer,
At the Britisl. Hotel, Cockspur-street, Charing-cross :
The Honourable CHARLES P. VILLIERS:Ii, M.P., Pro-
visional Chairman and Treasurer.

J. C. SYMONS, Esq., Secretary and Sub-Treasurer.
In the course of the week the Committees for the Aletropolis
in aid of the above object will be formed, and advertised. A
list of banking houses will also be advertised, where subscrip-
tions may be paid. The Provisional Chairmen, Treasurers,
and Secretaries, and the Metropolitan Anti-Corn-Law A MO..
ciation, 448, Strand, in the meanwhile will receive contributions.

THE WEATHER.—SUN OFFICE, DEC. 20.
THERMO➢IETER, Lowest, 38 ; Highest, 52 : Noon, 50.
BAROMETER, 30.50.-WIND, W.

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