Star.
London, England, 1802-01-04 00:00:00

LONG lIIZASUItr.

Grade, or decimal degree of the meridian, an hnndreth Kit
of the quadrant : it contains too,ooo mecrea,or 153,324 toifcs.
I foot 9 inches 7 sithlignes.
Myriametre. to.eco Mara; Of I polle 72 leagues.
Kilionietre, loco ditto or told yards.
Wilmette, zoo ditto. [tiVirpentage.
Decametre, to ditto, ufed farad of the firmer chains
Mcrae, the principal unity of the French matures; nearly
equal to 3 feet Ix lines and a half.
Decimetre, plinth of a metre; about 3 inches 8 1-34 lines.
Centimetre, t-tooth of ditto, fuppites the place of the former
pout* or inch; and is equal to four lines and a half.
Millimetre, -toooth part of the metre; ufed in place of the
former lire or line, of which it is nearly the !ull
tAgainft all the principal buildings in Paris. and in all places
of pubUe retort, a new tablet of white marble is fet up, with
a metal metre flied in it, and a Council is citahliftied, chars. d
with the propagation of this new (yftem of weights and mea.
ducal

;►COUNT VESUVIUS.

Accov.g.

OF • I:I;SCCHT 11NTO TH, CII4TTa OF
•.1 • • r TESTNIUS 1111111011TaRKIICHNITION THL
N • ;HT 114WE/11 THE. 18TH •1111 D 19TH OT JULY,
t ''!,01.-••••CPM/010-kai •
To afcend to the fummit of Mount Vernvies,
which is elevated 3000 feat above the level of the
lea, is an enterpriste of great diffienity, as it is ne-
s:Airy for nearly half the height to climb an ex-
ceedingly llE•ep declivity up to the knees in aflies.
Some phflofophical men of eminence, however,
as Spallanzanif Dolomieu, Dr. Moore, Ste. have
overcome all. theie:liffict4ties. .Sir William Ha-
milton, trims caufcd a gravonany views of Vefu-
vinus to be defigned during his, long refidence at
Naples, afcended to the fummit a it fifty-two
times ; but no one, at lead fince the eruption in
1779, ever ventured to defvend into the crater of
this volcano, not even Sir William Hamilton, who
eonfidered it tinder fo many points of view, and
who vifited ,it fo many times.. It:was refereed
for eight Frenchmen to hazard this dangerous en-
tirprife, and to fncceed in it completely, notwith-
'handing the timidity of their guides, the impoffi-
bility which the Neapolitans attached to it, and
the inflances they mentioned, of rant travellers
who had loft their lives in the attempt, and been
(wallowed op by the volcano.
• To be able to appreciate the danger of this en-
.• terprife, it will 1",: rrecefl'ary to have itcorreet idea
of the form and petition of Vefuvius, and of the
. ••t matters which it throws up. This.volcano has the
form of -a truncated cone, and a part of its bare,
which is altogether three leagues .in circumfer-
ence, is waihed,by the Mediterranean ; its mouth,
or upper hafe, which if a little iuclinedto the axis,
is 5772 feet in sircuinference. Tfie smith front
the Life to half thelteight coeifts esf ecgetable
mould mixed with lava and donee ut.ich here
iof ban attacked by, the lire. tufas, punAc.f, ind
calcareous Roves, different in their . attire and
colour, according to the diffctent degrees of im-
, preffma which have heen made on them bj the fire.
The half of the height next the fummit is cans-
pored chiefly of pure antes, but coat er than our
common afbe%. Till the prefent time, there here
been twenty-four eruptions recorded in hiflog.--:
The fiat took placelnahe year 79 after the Chris
tiara era : by thefe eruptiens volcanic matters have
been fuccefhively aceinnulated, but by that of
1779 the (amnia:l4 dieerater and of the Japer-
tare was entirely changed. ;The focus or.crater
is now funk zoo feet behiat,the upper edges of cite
mouth of the volcana.-. -
. To arrive at the 'titter. Andto eb&rre the no.
memos 'Oracles, long devices, and fires which'
Me from them in (everal places, and alto ;he va-
riegated and (Lill (making matters of which the
crater is conipife.l, it was neeeirary to pafs over
this (pace, of zoo rect.
The inner fides ..f the volcaga. are nearly per-
pendicular, or exceedingly liseptind ompokel of
elites, lava, and large calepaarhiatflanes,; het there
• lava and (tones, as they /011;1110 connexion with
the allies, cannot ferce as any point of fupport ;
, and when any one is fa imprudent as to adhere to
• this. kind of rock,.the least motion, the kali dir-
placement of any part, makes the 'whole crumble
to Nieces. Betides, from the fummit. of .Vefuvius
to the crater, the declivity, being exceedingly ra-
pid, cannot be traversed but on ail fours, andquf-
feting yourrelf to glide derwn'aroidft a torrent of
thliics .and lira. But the Moll dangerous (+flacks
!tic thofe awf'il excavations. which cannot be pair-
ed over without great trouble and difficulty.
Difregardiog tie terror with which the Neapo-
litans endeavoured to infpirc us, after having re-
ceived their adieus, as if our reparation had been
likely to be eternal, we let •eut in a carriage, at
• - „ tti after eleven at night, tilt tite'th of July,
Om-
the hotel Cfthe-Preach iiinbairador, fourteen
in number, (untidiest .with rapes and Other articles.
which we fuppored might be neceffary, and. all in
a !late of lite high& fpiriti, which never ft:it'-
11/0k us, eve* at times of * moltimminent dan-
*To We arrived about midnight at the foot of
Nefurins I :And, baring quitted oir carriage,
mounted well experienced uruteri,•thlikPriteeedhrg,
caw after . the other, with Adjutant Dampierre
at our head, amides the thick darkners'of night,
reached half way to the steep Commit of the moun-
tain. We had a numerous body
.of eruides, and
their lighted for ch es. gave to our expedition a my-
fterious and folemn air, WhiCh formed a Ariking
contrail with the mirth anti gaiety-of the conk-
p any.
When we had afeen.ded4Att -half way, we 111
Were obliged to and* iiii.'elkenher up the
, fteepell and molt dii.ficaslt Tait Veftivios, wad-1
ing•shrough the allots up:to the knees, till, el-1
haufled with fatigue, and covered with fweat. we
reached the Canine at halt-pail two,in the morning.,
' The firil thing that (truck us, as loon as the
morning began•to dawn, was a molt magnificent
Ipeltacle—a fuperb .view of the city and port a-
Naples, the beautiful hills which rurround
and the vafl . extent of the fea by which they ire'
waled. After walking round• part of the apes-
_ lure of the volcano, that we might &vole •the
• molt commodious place for defeenffing, Adjittent
Dempierre and C. Wicker fii tt defe;act • With,
out *of ilCeideut, atthe deteriatined . When
• they had.got about a third of the way-they were
fusldettly lopped by an excavation of fifty
which it necetrary to pars. As they fiMad that it
was l'am4offtbJe sso obraht
_any fixed pciintfof fop-
post on idles to movealde 0.1 and being convinced
* -that: the-fridion of ropes, would have loon dedrot.'
ed both the point of Inpport and the neighhatiringi
mane; to a great diftance, they Waived to return..
iterldes, .on the means of
fceuding, Come (tones rolling down from the firm.,
.• •
tacit occafnmed a general Nptaitit* Wherever they
pared: Adjutant Daraptqtp robot the .graund
Int which he ftood Mike henatb Rqd bel
had faintly .quitted it, valling oat to C. Wick*
to follow him, whets it difappeared. • Rigion
indeed, the whole p/ace:isliefeOrt had ttno.l, and:
all tb..oaighowas• ti iiinblicr
:down focceSvely in the. contra of half an honr,
and stre:a precipitated W.** InsHout Of the Falter
frith auswftd noire. ' ' ' •

Before we renounced our enterprife to return to
Napks, dejefted on account of not having rue-
ceeded, we once mote walked round the month of
the crater, and at lad dilcovered a long declivity,
pretty smooth, though very deep, which concluded
to the focus. Without examining the precipices,
whichit might be neceirary to pals before it could
be reached, C. Debeer, the Ambafrador's.fecre- '
tory, accompanied .by a lazzaroni, fet out firft to I
attempt the palrage. When they had got half
14'.1y, amitilt a torrent of allies, which the =pref.-1
fion of their feet made to roll down along with
'them, they. found means to fix thettifelyel on the
edge of a, precipice Pict* Act Ist 130 k
tr Whildi
64
was necefrary to pars • rive thitsp. teach the
lower clecliyity. ..Thet aaroniatti tined,. re--,
filled to proceed ;.-but,being pritiMißd 4.!clouble J
ducat, avarice g.cit the better of hti titniditr; lie!
Epee lily made the fign of the excifi offer his whole
body, and, having .invoked the Madonna, and
St. Anthony of Padua, threw himfelf along with
C. Debeer to., the bottom of the firs precipice :
coon after they arrived at another, but being of
lefs height it was paired with more •eafe. • At
length, amidft a continual torrent of falling lava,
allies, and (tones, they arrived at the bottom ofj
the crater, and stretched out their arms to its,
fendhig loath fliouts of joy, 'which we returned
with the utnsoft fatifaaion and enthufiafm.
C. Houdouart, engineer, immediately followed
C. Debeer; and after encountering the fame diffi-
culties, and palling dangerous precipices, joined
him sit the bottom of the crater. Being there
both convinced *of the almoll infurniuuntable difri-
culky of ascending, they threw themWves into each
'other's arms, like two friende reduced to the ne..
aleceflity of terminating theit lives together in.a.
'defect iflimd,without any hopes of efcaptitgfrom it.
They then began, 7hat with castiou‘ peps, to
walk round this iMpienfe :fisynace, which .1611
finokes in fever-el plates. The .intrepid' WiCkar,
who was very .defironito participate in their fate,
Tailed out to thens to fend foine one to atlift him
in paffing the two cliffs ; hut teeing no one corning,
and growing impatient, lie lCulhed forward, and
rolled :down, tbwards tgm'ainidit -*_!..eireilx of
Bones, afbes, and volcanic flatters. . Adjutant 1
Dampierte, C. Bagneris, phyileian .ta the army,
Frellinet and Andras,' French. travellers, and
Moulin, infpeabi- of pops, foorefrdlowed, and
arrived at the crater, after hatik• incurred the
fano: e. ow:. .
`Wicker immediately-fat -down on a heap of
fcotii and, with that foperintity of talents, for
Whicli7lie is diftinguifhed, Atte:led out in profile,'
with' a perfca rcfmnblince, the portraits of the.
cigbt..Erenchmen-who had defcended. Each then
Wetted a (mall colleedian of. the. different vol-
canic matters which. . appeared• to be flew or
curious, and end,:ivonnsel vausake a few obferva-
dons.
Had we been alloyed to depend.. on faCeefs;
had we not been rrtarJed in our preparations by
our timid guides; and it franc of us, having only
juft arrived a: Nap'..:s. had not been ftraitened in
point of time, our defient would certainly have
ken much snore ii feint, and the refults snore fa.
ti,f.taory. However, though ftl-furnilhed with
means, the following are the obfervations we were
enabled to make

Reatimur's thermometer, the only inftrnment
1 we polfetied, Rood at It degrees, on the fummit
of Vefuvitts: the air,,was—cOld, and fomewhat
meat :.in the crater the quick: ricer .rote.to f 6 de.
grc ..,s, and we experienced the !added temperature.
The furface of this place, which, when feen.by
the' naked eye, lm J:inz dowl from above, ap-
peared entirely fmnotli, exhibited,. whin we were
at the bottom, notlno,t but a vaft extent of afpe.
rities. We -.were constantly obliged to pats over.
lava' exceedingly porous, in general pretty hard,
,but which, in fome places, and particularly thofe
whtre we entered, was 1611144 and yielded under
nut legit. The fpedacle Which (truck us molt was
'the numerous (ptracics, which either at the bottom
Of the crater, or the• interior fides of the mountain
InEet- thi vapours ter efeapt.• 'When we arrived at
the' Crater, we weritefirenslp afcertain whether
thole. vapours were' of. a •noxions quality: we
walked through diem, and breathed them several
times, but felt no inconvenience from them. The
thermometer, placed-in ona of.theft (piracies, in-
dicaud 54 degrees, in another it rote only.to 22.
In all thefe experinients.our inftrument was co-
vered with g 14midliatter, which .was foOn dilli-
pated in thi Open aii'withcaut leaving any traces.
rfr
Iktraverfusgthe fu ?e of the crater, we pert
terved a forth liatelolie bfa litrettas of oat;
1 mice Ilene; and Wlridi, iceite,itsWitoltreiveumfer
1 reeve, emitted ci Ilr6tig laid. The therniometer
placed at fird at the entrance of it, andthen im..
merfed 'to is great% depth' Ov'the nature of the
grout nd. and the heat doold -admit, never title
higher than -22 degrees.. This iingulirity fur.
praiLd us, but we were not able to explain it. -
The volcanic prodefaions, which we obferved
in the' whole crater; were lava, exceedingly porous,
and whiCh the fire in certain places ma reduced
to. fcoriw. ' It was of a dark brOwn.colour, and
fometimes reddith; but it is rare to find-Any white.'
The Tulflances neareft the fpiracles are all- co-
veted of impregnated with fulphur. This mineral
is found-very' often in a date of oxygenation. It'
is fometimes white,' and fometimes of a yellowifh
colour, and the (harp and pungent impreifion it
leaves on the tongue, (anciently indicates the
Elate in which it is. The burning focus, of which'
we have fpoken, prOdUces the fame refults. Some
bidaltic lava is elf° found, but in frnall quantity;
one fpecimen only, of a confiderable' weight and
beantitirpolifh, iterated Mit attention.
' On theltorth fade of the crater there are two
large fibures, one Of which is-to feet in depth, and
/be °the about 14. Therare thaped like an in.
-verted cone. Tilt litiftteit'tiellf( 'Which they are
covered is entirelKdlaner to titarteitt the ref of the
curiae*. They fret neithie fmble nor heat ; yet
tfonse fulphurotteirciduations plibily thew that the
fire in• theft place's has sloe lang_beetrextine. -' . •
- When. we had dnilisd there fiw obfirvatidtts, it
was tte.telfary thin we &bold Wilk! of returning.
The •defcent is fat lifs laborious than the afcent ;
for it is difficult to climb eminences where. the
NUM of Aiwa% art fu moveablo..-Befideb-people

a

'cannot ascend but one at a time in focceffion, after
long intervals, for fear of bitifiag under a tor-
rent of volcanic matters thole who follow, as the
foot, when moved, difplaces the ales, &c. to•the
difiance 0130 fees round. . . s • •
• When we arrived at the two precipices, we were
obliged to afeend by.mounting on the Moulder;
of a man placed at the bottom, and laying hold 'OT
a flick held by another at the top; and.to re& nut
feet no where but in a very gentle manner. At
length, by prudence and caution, reached the
fitmmit Vefitviui without any accident, but
exhaulled with fatigue, and in covered tvitlvaihes
and [mote, as to be scarcely Our
fix companions, who bad not deicendeci in•i, the
crater, were overjoyed when they faw us again,
and fupplied us with force refreMments, of which
we had great need.
When one grand difficulty is 'farmounted, in-
ferior ones are overlookedl'as oilittte importance.
In lets than 25 minutes we agairrdefc,ended,
bav-
ing confirmed, alter examining various [tones, this
obfervation, that Vefuvius is the only known vol.
c-ano which throws up fromits bowels Primordial
fubftances, without being altered by the fire, and
fuch as arc found at prdent in banks and veins.
At half after eight in. the morning we arrived ;
at Portici, the inh:.bitants of which' were much
furprifed to fee ni return all face. Their delicious
fruits, and their excellent wine, called La,:rytaa
foon made us forget our fatigue, and we '
then proceeded AO Naples, which we rea.:ll,:d in
fafety. .
The refult of this exeurfioa, which was only an
experiment, can be of no further use than to Mew,
the poffibUity of reaching the crater; and'to open
the way to it to philofiphers, muticalifisiand.che-
mills, who, by Isploring this inams4fc furPaie pf
rtatureat their 12aure, wr4l firtd-a• viriity-ofinat-
ters which wilt alfia-ii ati ample freid for-the appli-
cation of Melt chemical kniklec!ge, and -may
enab'e thersito makt:ditcoverics i4erefting *to...the
arts.and-the fcienees. •-
The names of the eight FnestintteNin the order
in which they defcentied, are as faltiw :4x-Debcers
fecrctary to the AtistrsAdoi,-Aititio'rr Houdoitart;
ichicf engineer of biidgei-eand:;!inaiways
at-
tached to the army Of Italy.; St:icksti, p tutee
Dampierre, adjutant-commandant ; • Pagticris,
phyfieian to the army of nbferVittions
and Andras, French travellerii :tild'Mculin, in-
, fpeaor of polls.

•
Eliz. Minded, a girl cti-i7;ini is ycarit of age,
was laikz week committed £g Worceiler gaol, ;by
the COilioner, for the wilfttlithard4r of 'acr illegiti-
Mate child.
On Monday two Escire Otctrg, attended by
two foldiers, feiled iiit.torfes and five earls lcden-
with fpirits and tobacco, al lion WN:lclrciw,
and were conveying.them to Norwidt, when they
were overtaken and attacked atilorldord by up-
warckof 3o armedt,fmogglers, Ogle foldier was
(hot in the faCe,-lhe other in the ihenfcler.' Seve-
ral of the fmagglers were fctvt.rcly wounded, and
two' of them are fence deid.

On Thurfaay morning—laft a fet of daring fel-
lows broke into the limp of Mr. Levy, Myer-
fmith, in Whitechapel, but their views were fruf-
trated by the fhopman and boy ileeping in the
(hop.
Early on Saturday morning a fet of idle fellows
hetet a. watchman, of the -name of- Leadhetter,
in the parillt of St. Mary, Whitecharel, and beat
him in fo dangerous a manner that his life is de-
(paired of.
On Saturday a woman while in cohverfation
with a neighbour in WaterlateprOw, Chefier,fw-l-
denly dropped. down on her knees,. and on being
carried into an houfe expirisilin about au hour
afterwards. .

One day, during'flie prefent holidays as two
persons were 'Adoring; in' the neighbourhood of
Handfworth, near Sheffield, the piece of one of
them went off by accident, and the contents paired
nearly through the body of the other, who was
jolt before him. The wounded man was convey-
ed to the village, where. helies, we underhand,
with little hope of reciriery. • ".
Ott-SitOrday fennight Mrs. Crofsland, wife of
Mr. Ciofsland, Watchmaket; of Wakefield, being
alone late in the evening, and employed with do.
meltic ionierns, her clothei aceidentally caught
fire : alartned by the danger of her fit nation, the
rah into the open air, phichincteated the rapidity
Of the Ditties to ffich a degree;that fie was burnt
.bs the litadreadfultuanner before any:afliitapce
cOidd.hcf•eit.,;ill hoped 'dr fier recovery were
1011, and , in the 'Moll 'eserticiating
pain till Weitlnenny 'all, when the expired.
Ttiefday. an imitation was taken by the• Coro:
ners for Iptivieli;.on the body of Benjamin Nihon,
Millwright in that town. It appeared from the
' evidence taken upon the inqueft, that the decated
'was going op the Wath from his lodgings, and
teeing Win. King walking his boots in the WA,'
he pitched a brick into the water near ...here he
Was (landing, for the purpofe of dalhing him;
which' enraged King fo ;much, that he intlantly.
jumped upon the caufeway, and liruck the de-'
coated, and after endeavouring to provoke him to
_fight' which he. did, Bilbop, m the third round,
'was Epocked down,, and died iittlanth. The,
Jury, after heating the evidence, *retained a vcr-
dia of Manflaughter.. • • . . .
Though Door Svpannan, the. fir( Phy.fician
• his clay. Enid, that." the Gout and , the klica-
matifm were tiro fuoli plague's, as if MokOia4 in-.
.flifted them upon Pharoali; he
.would have found
them worts than all the plagues of Egypt, cop.
bined."—We ate.happy tq obferve, that, for the
benefit of mankinda modern Scientific in the Art
of Healing, hacinvented and happily adminifiere
a molt fuccefsful antidote againfi thole deleterious:
difeafesi which, like a poifon, will through the,
humanbluetit,iand have fo often baffled-the ut.'
;loott (kill of. the Vacuity at large to core. We
mean Di. BR4llll#Ol wondettworking Nervous
Cordial, a few doles of Which tiave to often
.reliev.
ed the putiettk• fr.m. the Julgoß e;cliteiating Pain,
and: rat toted Au. health and vigour which, itoms
the power, of medicine, featce a dawn ,of -bilge
I wne.to be ciatefiainc4.

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