The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-10-17

Oh the Baltimore leieGraphe.
Ext>rs7 Of Private ie,ser, Lafsd Naeirs, Jsns 6.
On the slft Of laft month we enjoyed, for the fir
time, the fpeaacle Of an eruption of Veiuvius. A
column of very black fmoke rofe from the crater about
ten o'clock; hafhes and then burt from thi. CO.
lua'n at length the eruption appeared in maj, of
flame, OF inmenfe diameter, and occupying the whole
Wait extent of the This MATS was kept UP BY
fuceehvs emiiions Of Within harae which, as it ro!e
IN the air. aiunsd more intenfr red colour Iynit-
ed or melted fnbfanees, fon,e of which we're opaque,
were projected with VIOLENCE above rhi, body Of ere,
and often fell beyond the circumference of the era
ter. AT midnight there not as ye, any current of
lava, but frequent rumblihgs were heard.
On the 1T of June, the eruption continued the
whole morning, aud we refolved to Witt the noun
tain the following night.
We iet out at eight in the eveuing.-We took
horfe At ReGna, near the defcent to Herculaneuu,
and proceeded towards the reGdenee of the Hermit,
houle in which he lives is tua.ed near the fou,h
peak of Mouat Sonma, being an eafy ride of an hour
and half from Refna.
On leaving the hermitage, we proceeded scrofs the
valley which feparares Son,nia from veluvu. and is
known by the appellation of Alrio del Caveo-I, i,
of no great depth, being alno0 entirely filled with
the lavas of iuccetve eruptions, piled above ,he
other. AT length we reached the foot of Vefuveus,
where we left horles and began aeend on foot
on account OF toe movable nature of the ground on
which you walk, being nothing buta mixture Of
aihes and fragments OF lava without eondtency-
After great fatigue reached the funt, and arri-
we'd at ons of the edges of the crater.
We had been lighted the whole way by eruptions
OF the mountain, which projected to very
great height. Violent rumbres that were eontnp-
ally heard, added to the grandeur and the awfulneis
OF the fPeefscle, which appeared much more beau
s;ui and majetic from the point to which we had
climbed with 70 much difficulty.
Suspended as it were on the brink Of the crater,
nothing interpreted to prevent view of the erup-
tons. We beheld immenfe male. of fame iffi,ing
aimott from under n,r feet, rng above the clouds,
and carrying with them, to the fame height hower,
OF ignited ftones, which generally defend, nearly in
a perpendicular direction, into the very mouth Of
the crater; but fometinss falling beyond its brink
rebeunded around US, and rolled red hot, down the
declivity which we had climbed. Columns OF FIRE,
clouds OF fmoke, aud flowers Of aones, fueceeded
each other without Interruption, accompanied by
continual fnbterrateous NOTES. the bowels of the
mountain ieenied convulfed, the ground ON which
we Sood nook, and threatened to fink beneath our
feet Neverhad we beheld More melancholy i
mage OF the corvulions of nature and notwithnand-
ing the rifk we incurred from the continual fall
ing OF the Zones, could earcely be prevailed up
on 10 leave it.
Our guides, who were better Judge. of the danger
than ourielves, now became alarmed, and urged
defend.
The violence Of the volcano had inereafed Gnce we
reached the iunmt and the Power that prefdes over
the Place f-eysed inclined &C nnn;n e for sur aud
city, and for having Prsfumed violate his tremen-
dous abode
We accordingly defended, and in few minutes
arrived at the Alrio del CavalIo. We were out of
OF the reach ofdanser, and were enabled TO con,e-
plate, without apprehension, tie objeas by which
DID r
Over our head, the volcano, with its fuoking lava
rufhing downthe fdes fthe mountain; before us,
the i"a fmooth and calm the full moon illunlinne
with the mild beams the extremity of the horizon
the clouds and the fmoke waited around the fummit
OF the mountain, and concealing, for few moments
the vatt conhagra,ion, which appeared again more
lively and mere brilliant; this ucccfon of lights and
ihades, this contrat of turbulence and tranquility
this folietude in the midi of watt convulfion prodr-
eed multitude of contrary imprefions that canno.
be deicrihed, but the recolleao Of whish will never
be GRATED.
We returned about four in the morning to Naples,
having iPent eight hours in the excurion.
On the iecond, the eruption continued the whole
day, with much greater violence than before TWO
eurrants OF lava were formed one of thefe flopped
IN the mornng--the other taking an eafiern courfe
ipread with great rapidity, and deiuged the plain
AS our rTeuron OF the preceding night had not ena-
bied US to form any idea concerning the progrefs of
the lava, we iet out again obferye this ex,raordi-
nary phenomenon.
Pafing through the villages of Portci, ReGna, and
lorae del Greco, we entered inclofurss, coniflng
OF vineyards and cornheas into which the lava had
penetrated; We approached the current and was
iurprlied to find the progrefs of the lava 70 diff
tersnt from the conception had formed oft.
had always imagined that the fubaance of the
iava, reiemblrg melted glafs, in tho fame man
ner' and advanced uniformly like river Of fire and
indeed 1t is extremely probable that mi great num-
Der OF eruftions IL actually exhibits this appearance
On the prefeut oseaGon, faw nothing Blu, an accu-
mutation OF tones, fome Of which were ofprodipou.
magnitude heaped upon the other, to the height
OF htteen or twenty feet, and about half mile in
oreadth-Ih his formidable niafs advanced lowly fol-
lowing progrelion' produced foley by the falling of
the different bodies, between which there was no adj
heiion, aud which, in obedience 10 the mpufon they
had received on huing from the crater, rolled from
the NOT elevated point, and covered the urfaee Of
another tiratnm In this manner the tones rolled
over, one upon another, sil the front rank having
attained the fame height that which produced IT,
began in its turn TO pour down the sned bodies that
came tumbing upon il,
All this iHteliiUe motion was accompanied with
noiie refenbng the decrepitatiop of alts but much
more loud and bri0c. The FIRE was fed by variou.
eonbulfibls matters as fuphur bitumen and metals
which might be known by their Games; but there
was no appearance either VI complete fuGon or of
the commencement Of IL. This Zone, refifed the
Preilure OF Niek, which fevera times endeavored
bu, in vain, to thurft inte them
Meanwhile the devatlation oceafoned By the pro-