Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1842-02-03

furnace. The smukr and heated vapor
with a loud roaring sornd, rushed wildly ~
from chasm some fifty feet in diameter
into which we cast large masses uf lava, aD6
could hear them, after minute 0t more, droI
into the boiling depths below, when with .
louder roaring, q dcDser cloud of smoke
filled with glowing sparks, rolled upwards I,
the face Of heaven. Emotions Of peculiar sub
limliy and awe were excited, as. enclosed by
the rugged ellis of lava, wlIh the heaven,
above darkened by the syloke of the volcano
whilst beneath me were fiery heaving blllows
bellowing forth their rage, as # Impalicnl o
restraint, and gathering strength To r.c again
above The walls of their mounlaIn prison, nnd
rush, with fury, down upon the plains below
IL seemed like standing on the verge Of the
pit of woe, whore the wailngs OF the lost were
ascending, mingled with the smoke Of their
torments, gong up forever, and ever What
stupendous, and overwhelming display of
the fearful power Of the Most High, are the
raging fires of volcano; now resting To RI
gam their strength and then, with mighty
commissions, hcaving The earth, causing the
sea TO retire far buck from It's wonted butts,
and then sendlng high up in the heavens.
massive rocks, and columns of glowing, liquid
fro, which in their descent, roll their deSula
fertile plains below. With feelings of no
slight, or transient interest, climbed TO the
brm OF the crater, rapidly descended to the
Hermitage, and from thence, (havng taken
needul rcfrcshments,) to the base Of the
mountain.
Before leaving Vcsuvius it moy not be a
miss To state some facts connected with its
pust history. Al the time Of our earliest ac-
counts of II, the cone was regular IN It's form,
with the remains of an ancient crater nearly
filed, at its summit, covered within by wild
vines, and with barren plain at the bottom.
IL was within tins ancient and extinct crater.
that Sparticus, the rebel gladiator, cntampcd
his army of 10000 men. The sides uf the
mountain were clothed with fertile fields.
highly cultivated, and nj lis base were the
populous cities Of PompeIi and licrculapcuin.
In the year tE} there was an earthquake, by
which these cities were much injured, and III
~, they were burcG by an eruption oF Vesu-
yius.
We have no evidence that the lava flowed
from the mountain in the year 20, AS the bull.
dings, both in Pompeii and llerculaneup,
were filled with small stones, sand, ashes, and
fragments OF older lavas. Pompell has never
been ovcrfown with lava though the town
stands on bed of 1t composed of several lay
ers. which were thrown out at Il period ear
lier than any of which we have a history. As
lIerculaneum is directly ut the base of the
mountain, it has often been covered, not on
ly as at first with showers Of mud, and ashes, |
but also with streams of lava. Above the |
lowest stratum is the matter OF six cruptlons.
with veins of good soil between each, all OF
them of depth Of from 20 to IL feet. Both |
these cities were scapors, and llercuaneum
is still near the sea, but Pompril is now
mile from the shore, the intervening space
having been filed up with volcanic matter
OF the manuscripts found at llercuaneun',
about 400 of those least injured have been
read. A few are in Italian, but most OF them
ure Greek, and though to us entirely new, ye,
they are unimporlant. They relate mostly To
music. rhetoric, aud cookery.