The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-12-12
MIA, which We had only lefta few hours ago
was about $40 Fahr.

was about $40 Fahr.
The road, OH leaving our resting plare
became tedious and cherries hardly any
vegetation was disccverable, and still wild
er regions appeared above US. The patti
now lay over masses of rough lava; 81
much so, thnt at times it became neressary
to dismount and actually drag our jade1
animals over the rugged precipices which
obsructed our progress; the intrlcacy OIL
the path required us to follow one another
very closely, that VIC might not lose the
track, which Became so torturous in its
course, ms would puzzle any one but a
muleteer accustomed TO the road TO find
the clue of this volcanic labyrinth in the
darkness Of night
After much anxious travelling over waste:
of cinIers and black sand, we seemed t.
he approaching near the wished-for sum
init; when, about 2 o'clock, A. NJ, the
moon, now shorn of her heums, queen like
arose behind the bifurcated summit of Etna
her cheering right was very grateful IL
rS N this wild spot. The awful cone o
the mountain pillowed against the heavens
and emitting clouds Of slyery white smoke
from It's burning crater, bad a grand effec
at this solemn hour of the night.
AT three O'Clock, arrived at the Casa In
gese. a rude hut built by the English
troops when stationed in Sicily, during til,
late war: Here it became again necessary
to halt little to put on some extra clothing
AS soon rs this was accomplished, The sig
nal for the ascent was made by the guides
giving each person of the party long staff
to assist him in clam5ering the sleeps, as
the mules could not proceed any further,
owing to the nature and fatigue Of the as.
cent. The first portion Of the road lay
over large broken masses of lava, most
wearlsome to scramble over. Onapproacb-
ing nearer the apex, the path was over
clnders, fine black sand, and scoria. In
wading through this compound the ascent
became so difficult and fatiguing, that we
were all under the necessity of reposing
every twenty or thirty yards, tormented by
the sulphnrous vapour, which rendered res
plratlon painful, and was even less support
able than the abruptness of the mountain
path!
At length, after somewhat more than an
hours walk, The most harrassng that can
be imagined, we arrived at the top Just as
the day began to dawn. To paint the feel
ings at this Dizzy height, requires the pen
OF roetic inspiration; or to describe the
scene presented to mortal raze, when thus
looking down with fearful eye on the al
most boundless prosPe". beneath The
blue expanded ocean, fields, w0c'ls, cities
rivers, mountains, and all the wonted cha ...ns
of the terrestrial world, had a magic effect
when viewed by the help of nascent light ;
while hard by yawned that dreadful crater
of centuries untold, evolving thick sulphur
Gus clouds of white smoke, which rolling
down the mountains side in terrific gran.
deur, at length formed one vast column for
many miles in extent across the sky Anon
the mountain growled awfully in its Utmost
recesses, and the enrth was slightly convuls
ed We now attempted TO descend shor
distance within the crater; the guides
tlmld eff its horrors, did not relish the under.
taking, but were induced at length, and
condu cted the party behind some heaps Of
lava, from whence was grand view of this
d"f"4 cavern. The noise within the gull
resenibled loud continuous thunderings, anc
after each successive explosion, there is
sued columns of white, and sometimes O.
black smoke.
The crater presents the appearance oil
an inverted cone, the interior part of which
is covered with chrystalizations of salts and
sulphur, Of various brilliant hues-red ap.
peared to predominant, or rather a teep
orange color. Writers vary much in theiI
accounts as to the circumference of the
crater Captain Smyth, r. NJ. who had
an opportunity TO ascertain it correctly, DIES.
cribes it as an oval, stretching from E. ant
bv n. to W., and by S. with a corrugated
diameter of foui hundred and ninety three
yards; the transverse lie was prevented
from ascertaining by dense cloud that
arose before his operations were completed
1t was soon requisite for US to retire from
this spot, as the smoke began to increase
and our guides said that some adventurous
travellers had lost their lives by approach
ing too near, and were either blown into
the abyss below by the violence of the
wind, which is generally very strong at this
elevation, or sufocated by sudden burs
Of the sulphurous vapor.
Our senses were entranced for a while
unused to such an awful display of nature
in this one of her widest abodes. On ou
exit from the crater, the glorious god o
day was beginning to peep from behind tn,
mountains of Caabra, and the wondrou
vision, hitherto underlined and vague, wa.
soon spread out distinctly to the admirns
eye. What hand could paint, what tongue
express, or pen transcrbe, the transcendant
ly glorious scene? As he advanced in hi
golden path, the whole of Sicily, the coas
of Italy, and the Faro of Messina SCENE,
gathered round the base of Etna; Will,
the giant shade of the mountain could b,
distinctly traced on the face of the island
and even over portion Of the sea. Ever,
city, every river in all its windings, werI
depicted on this mighty map of nature.
To many, the most interesting part of tn,
view is the mountain itself. The Region
Deserta, or desolate regions Of Etnu frs
attracts the eye, marked in winter by
circle of ice and snow, but now July b.
! cinders and black sand. In the midst III
great crater rears its burning head, an,
the regions of intense heat and extrem
cold shake hands together. The eye 500
becomes satiated with its wldness, an,
turns with delight on the Sylvana region
which, with its magnificent zone of fores
trees, embraces the mountain completed
round; in many parts of this delightful
tract are seen hills, now covered with tn
most luxuriant vegetation, that have bee
formed by different eiuptions of Etna. Thi
girdle is succeeded by another still richer
called the Regione Culta, abundant il
every fruit or grain that man can desire
the small river Semetus and Alcantara in
iersects these fertile fields.
WARMTH OF DEBATE. Burke, the cele
brated orator, one day in the warmth @
debate, spoke words disrcspec,fu to tn
government. One Of the members presen
called him to order, and said he would nc