Star.
London, England, 1812-06-29 00:00:00

The late PHENOMENON in the WESTINDLAS.

The following account of the eruption of Mount
Souffriere, in St. Vincent's, will be found to be the
Racist accurate and complete that has yet appeared :
The SouffrierMountain, the most northerly of the
loity-chain running through the centre of this island,
and the highest (Ti the whole, as computed by the
most accurate survey that has yet been taken, had
fox some time past indicated much disquietude ; and
from the extraordinary frequency and violence of
earthquakes, which are calculated to have exceeded
two hundred within the last year, portended some
great movement, or eruption. The apprehension,
I however, was not so immediate, as to restrain curio..
city, or to prevent repeated Asks to the crater, which
of late had been more numerous than at any former
period, even tp to Sunday last, the 26th of April,
when some Gentlemen ascended it, and remained
there for some time. Nothing unusual was then re-
marked, or any external d fference observed, except
rather a stronger emission of smoke from the inter-
stices of.the Conical hill, at the bottom of the crater.
—To those who have not visited this romantic and
wonderful spot, a light description of it, as it lately
stood, is previously necessary and indispensible to
form any conception of it, and to the better under-
standing the account which fellows—for no one
living can expect to see it again in the perfection and
beauty in which it was on Sunday the 26th inst. 4
About two thousand feet from the level of the sea,
(calculated from conjecture) on the South side of the
mountain, and rather more than 2-3d3 of its height,
opens an immense circular chasm, somewhat exceed-
ing half a mile in diameter, and between four or five
hundred feet in depth—exactly in the centre of this
capacious bowl, rose a conical hill about 250 or 300
In height, and about 200'in diameter, richly covered
and variegated with shrubs, brushwood and vines,
about half way up, and for the remainder powdered
over with virgin sulphur to the top. From the fis-
sures in the cone and iuterstices of th rocks, a thin,
white smoke, was constantly emitted, occasionallf
tinged with a slight bluish flame. The precipitous
sides of this magnificent Ampitheatre were fringed
with variousever-greens, and aromatic shrubs, flowers,
and many Alpine plants.' On the north and south
sides of the base of the cone, were two pieces of water,
one perfectly pure and tasteless ; the other strongly
impregnated with sulphur and allum.
This lonely and beautiful spot was rendered more
enchanting by the singularly melodious notes of a
bird, an inhabitant of these upper solitudes, and alto-
gether unknown to the other parts of the island,
hence principally called, or supposed to be invisible,
though ii certainly has been seen and is a species of
the merle. A century had now elapsed, since the last
convulsion of the mountain or since any other elements
had disturbed the serenity of this wilderness (than
those which are common to the Tropical tempest.)
.It apparently slumbered in primeval solitudes and
tranquillity, and from the luxuriant vegetation and
growth of the forest, *hidh coveted its sides from the
base, nearly to the summit, seemed to discilunte-
nance the fact, and falsify the records of the ancient
volcano. Such was the majestic, peaceful Souffrier
on Aril the 27th, but we trod on" Ignem repositutn
etniri doloso," and our imaginary safety was soon to
be confoinded by the sudden danger of devastation.
Just as the plantation bells rung twelve at noon on
Monday the 27th, an abrupt and dreadful crash
from the mountain, with a severe concussion of the
earth, and tremulous noise in the air, alarmed all
around it. The resurrection of this fiery furnace,
was proclaimed in a moment by a vast column of
thick, black, ropey smoke, like that of an immense
glass house, -bursting forth at once, and mounting to
the sky showering down sand, with gritty calcined
particles of earth, and &villa mixed on all below.
—This driven before the wind towards Wallibon and
idorne Ronde, darkened the air like a cataract of
rain, and covered the ridges, woods, and cane pieces
with light grey-coloured ashes, resembling snow when
* little sublimed by a:vst. As the eruption increased,
this continual shower expanded, destroying every ap-
penance of vegetation. At night a very consider-
able degree of I rgirsiiion was observed on the bps of
cr tht ate') but it is not asserted, that there was as yet
any visilile ascension of flame.
_The same awful
scene presented itself on Tuesday—the fall of favilla
and Welded pebbles still increasing, and toe corn-