Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1842-02-03
[WHoLE No GIT.
ASCEKT OF MOUNT VESUrIUS.


The following is an extract from Foreign
Travel aud Life at Sea-" by The Rev Charles
Rockwell, now Ia press, aud soon 10 be pub
Ilsbed by Tappan * Dcunct, Of Boston:
( AT midnight | was awakened by the young
man, who was 10 be my alteDdaut,i ~ ascend
ing the mountain. We each mounted a
horse, and save here and there the ewing nf
u chld, or The barking Ui u dog, rs we lc!t
The village at the foot of tlie mountain, 10
sound bat the trampllns of our.hurscs npon
The lava, biOke ~ upon the silence Of night.
TIE horse on which my guide rode had not
been trained to climbing the mountain, and
beng refractory, | rode on by myself, with
nothing To dveIi me from my solitary mus
lngs. The road was along a dark rh.Iuc,
deeply worn, und washed, IN the Gccay my
lava, with vineyards, or dense gro"ti OF
wild plants aud shrubs Oh either side
The very darkness of the night, and the
secluslon Of our way, by yelling from onr
view surrounding objects, caused the mind
10 turn in upon Itself, and To draw mere free
ly than it would othern se have done, from
the storC-house OF fancy. and OF memory, tho
materials Of excited thought, and feeling,
treasured there. Around, aud beneath us.
solemn grandeur, the irowning mountain,
sending up its wrculhcd smoke To Heaven,
like mighty giant, musing over the wide
spread ruin he had wrought and hy rppose,
regauug strength, for other leeds of desoa-
ton, and Of death. la moving over such
ground, how vlvldly do past scenes rise 10
the mind, how intensely does one feel, ana
live, aud with What emotions of subnniiy,
aud awe, do We, with the fallen spirit, inward
ly C&cIhlm,-
"Whnt il the breath that kndled those grim fires,
/ Awakened, should blnw tlrin field rage,
And plunge u IN the naD'csi or from above,
should intcrEiittd vengeance arm Hgain,
His red f.ht hand 10 plague us ~
Ona high ridge, about half way up the
mountain, stands the Hermitage, with trees
IN front, and Inhabited by single Monk,
who supplies travellers with refreshments.-
Before reaching this point, ond soon after
leaving it, we crossed wide fields ot rough,
broken lava, rising in blank irregular masses.
ot from few inches, to FIVE or six feet IN
height. We ted our horses to some stakes
planted IN the lava near the foot of the cone,
which rises al an angle of 45 degrees, and Is
composed, at the surface, OF light, loose ash.
es, mlng led with cindcfs and stones. The
ascent Is extremely tatigulng, as one sii~s
To the nncle in the yielding mass, every step
hc lakes. On reaching the summit however,
fatigue is soon forgotten. Every thlOg
around leads one to feel that but u narrow,
brittle crust of lava separates him lIcu, tho
flaming, raging depths below, and hc LGDws
not how soon he boiling fires heucalh his
feet, may burst forth from thor prison hOas",
or by a sudden. and mighty effort, hi.i up
wards 10 the face OF heaven, the heated mass
on which he stands. All around bIm. heated
vapor, aud pungent gases, are rushing forth
from the !ssures IN the lava and III one place,
before reaching the brlln of tie crater, ths
guide plnccd handful ol dry herbaec on tho
surface Of the lava, and 1t was instantly IN
flames. II WINS between two and three
O'clock in the morning, when we recched tho
summit of the cone, and as we had only star
light 10 guide us, we deferred descending
into the crater until day should dawn,
One Object in ascending Vcsuvius BY nigh,
is 10 witness, from It's summit, the dawn oi
day, and the rising sun, as dlspelliDg tho
shades of night, they seem, as II were 10 call
INTO being, IN rapid succession, the rIchnesr
and beauty of the city aud coun,ry,-lhe
lcafy hillside, and the fertile PLAIN,
hoary mountain, and the rolling sea. AZ
three hours or more must cIapsc before sun
risc, my next inquiry was, hOw to protect
myself from the chilling vaPOrs' %: the nlgh,
and at the same time secure u little quiet
sleep These were matttts oi some urgency
owing 10 the fatigue aud violent pcrsplrotioG
caused by ascending the cone, as also 10 the
fact that we had 40 overcoat wIih rs. Mna-
ing a vlriuo Of necessity tHcrciorc, select.
cd a resting place directly over one oi mo
numerous assures, from which heated NBpot,
strongly charged with murlatic, ur sulpbuiic
acid gas. rushcs forth, as from the chimney
A. Ia
sleep My only pillow was my cloth cap,
laid upon n broken piece OF cinder, and
though my bed was none of the soitcst, aud
1t was, wllhal, necessary 30 to place my head
that the pungent gases might moi be nhaIcd,
causing, as they did, the Inncr suriac" o ihr
uostrIls To feel rs II 4 thousand heated CAM
brio needles were sho, into them, still, thus
warmed hv the volcanoes breath, NY quiet
aud luxurious sleep. was such as kings might
envy. Gculle reader, was II not mOsl r9'
mantle resting place.
II were IN vain 10 attempts description NJ
the varied aud intense emotions, excited Oy
gazing on the splendid panorama, winch NO
morning light opened To the view. Fr'i.
the classic heights around, and far beyond
MS. a. # rising from the Loson ofprncval
chaos, ,hadowcd forth their ragged outline,
on the morning sky. Then rose the w'ndy
hills. aud soon. the rising sun, as IL dicW up
the fieecv vapor which rested alike on The
land. ard tue scu, disclosed at once 10 'hn
view. the quiet village and the crowded CITY.
the de spread wales laden with the o'i''
aud the ,inc and the azure waters "i Tie
quiet bay, studded with islands krowh VA
classic fame, aud as ihe morning mist t"n"
Upwards. the stately ship at war. with ~
tsprring beauty was seen, as 1t Ike i1c s'"'
hnin Venus, rising FROM the bosom oi tho
deep. We were above tie raging Tires. hhd
boring lava of the burning mount. clad ~ iho
.ah!c co,cring Of lis own des"lollon a "a
standing ihcrc as hvng monument OF mo
buried ciiIrs below a. II its heated btc1ih'
lunr were the deep drawn signs oi anguish
aud lls inward quakng, The c"nrul 'hc ho"",
,ngs OF ,c,oorsc, lor deeds OF desola'I'n, and
Oi dra'h.
H. Ociub'r. lG22. az eruption, WITH Nl"l"ht
cxpl..ons, which continued more 'han i~rn'
~ days. lrii 10 immense chasin OF the SUM
mt ui the iauuniain, about three miles IA
circumference. The depth Of llns abyss h's
been constantly decreasing since, by Tho
falling in of IT'S ,iIcs. II iacasurcd, nt t''i,
ftou, one To two thousand feet, but oi 80.
t,n,e oi my VI -, the edge, or brsn o. lim
Al t.ya fsF