The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-02-12


where no less than I've thousand volcanic vents
have been counted; and he concluded his lecture
with description OF the kilamea volcano, on the
island Of Hawaii, on mountain called Msuna Loa.
The cup Of this volcane-of which there was an
excellent disgram--s seven miles in diameter, and
sufficiently capacjous to contain the entire city Of
New York The depth, fro the top to the Bot
tom Of this mmense aperture, is one thousand fest
Of the sea, understood him to estimate at four
thousand. When the missionaries arrived at this
group Of islands, they found thology prevailing
among the natives, which led them to believe that
their goddess Pela inhabited this volcano and that
when she Was angry an eruption broke out, during
which she employed herself in combng her hair
deeming the volcanic glass, which the high wind
that prevails on these occasions spins out into
perfect snarl, to be her "smbrosial curls' spe.
cimen Of which the Professor exhibited, in an inex
tricably tangled state as taken from the toilet Of
the goddess Pels In conclusion, he mentioned q
thrilling incident that befell the Rev. Dr.. Judd,
who, while in the interior Of the volcano, and not
noticing the client rising Of the lava, impercep-
tibly surrounded by the fiery liquid. He summoned
his friends who were near, to his aid; and power
above. and with great effort drew him up, before
the spot on which he stood was covered with the
ascending lava; but both Of them were severely
burntby the intense heat that already prevailed
PROFESSOR sILLIMAN'S THIRD LECTURE ON THE
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH.
The Professor commenced by reminding his
audience that, on the previous evening, he had
given brief account of most of the volcanoes in
the world, reservng the consideration of those in
Italy, and the continent Of Europe for the present
occasion. He found, however, that to complete
this would detain them too late, and he had there
fore concluded to defer the consideration Of Etna
till Monday evening. He then proceeded with .
~ uofk Lo of
than Italy He had mentioned, he said, the in
ternal movement that is taking place in Scan
dinavis, attended by thunders, and other indi-
cations, which demonstrate that this movement has
been going on for ages; thence he had passed to
the British isles, remarking that the only indi-
cation of the external heat of the globe that was
to be found there was in its thermal waters.
But in France there are decided evidences Of
volcanic action They are to be found all along
the Rhone- principally in three provinces. Many
Of the changes that have taken place which,
it is now admitted, are of volcanic character
were formerly, under the Vernesian system, attri-
buted to the action of water. The lava elected
from volcanoes, he said, sometimes flowed through
rivers, forming solid wall across; and he men
toned that there is no difference between basalt
and lava that has cooled under pressure. He
alluded to the existence of volcanoes in that part
of Gaul in which Julius Caesar encamped when he
invaded the country, but of which he makes no
mention-neither is there any alIusion made to
them by its own poets-although, at one time,
splendid scene must have been afforded by fifty of
them being IN operation at one time. Still there
are the baths remaining which were used by the
Roman General; and, although there are no indi
cations of an approaching eruption, yet there
is no security whatever against their recur-
renee Passing over to Spain, he observed
that, although there are no volcanic erup-
IN ma NIT hin
a few years, villages have been destroyed by
earthquakes; and it had been mentioned that hot
waters were elected, which gives more than hint
that the same power that exists in Scandinavia
Iceland and Great Britain, also sIumbers in France
and Spain, and which continues till the northern
part of Italy is reached, for near Venice volcanic
action is discovered, whore are cones and abundant
hot waters, so that baths are esta bshed with the
greatest facility. These hot springs extend from
this region to Rome 1t had been doubted, he
said whether the Imperial City, where formerly
the throne Of the CDSars and where is at present,
that of the Pope, built seven hills; but they
are easily discerned His business, however, he
said, was with geological rather than civil antiqui
ties. Old Rome was located under the modern
city, and it is necessary to dig down fifteen feet,
before the arch of Constantine is reached. The
Emperor Napoleon caused several excavations to
be made ct Rome, and in its vicinity, and there
sufficient to satisfy us that the site Of Rome
was formerly under water. All the way from
Rene to Tivoh Pozzolana is to be found mixed
with kind of marine limestone, by which we dis
cover that the location on which Rome stands was
formerly covered by the sea Then came volcanic
action, which buried Pompeii and Herculaneum;
and then came fresh water. The Professor here
gave an interesting description Of a cavern under
ground, over which the church of st. Sebastian il
erected, near Rome. IL was in this cave that the
early Christians during periods of persecution, used
to assemble for public worship, and which subse
quently was used as place Of interment; and
everywhere on the sides are catacombs cut into
the solid reck; and, as among the Christians
were persons of considerable opulen,e, pre-.
cious stones and other valuable ornaments are
frequently found in this last resting place of
the dead. The Professor then passed on to
Naples, and, as might be expected, dwelt at
much length upon the eruptive character of Mount
Vesuvius How far back its eruptions began to
spread deoaton, and to alter the face of the sur
rounding country, there exists no data for deter
mining. This plane, he said, is very ancient; God
has told US that it had beginning, and that he
called man into existence and everything shows
culty with many persons is as to the necessary ex-
tension Of time But biologists must have time;
tie deluge does not help US. Astronomers require
space and ssoh t9s WAS the 0 3
eruption taking place, during the first century of
the Christian era that fire had devastated the
mountain and dacent country some time before but
everything went on as II no such event had hap.
pened, or was likely to recur Around we're forests
and cultivated regions, and the people had no idea
Of the approaching catastrophe. But in the year
63, there violent commissions. In August, ~,
series Of still violent volcanic indications shook
the country. The elder Pliny commanded the Ro
man fleet, and having gone down TO Stabi@ to note
more particularly what occurred persisted the next
morning from the sufocating vapor, which spread
over the neighboring country. AS has been before
stated, it was during this eruption that erculanum
and Pomreii were buried-the former by the lava
which flowed down the meuntain-the other by
ashes and the exuva which the volcano beched
forth OF course, the professor and his son visited
the ruins ofthee cities and he favored his audience
with minute description Of their appearance. He
agreed with all who have written upon this SUBJ
ject, that the inhabitants generally had saved them
selves by fight; and a family group who wero
found imbedded in the ashes, which had become
ndurated during seventeen hundred years, had
evidently sought shelter under friendly arch, and
had been Unexpectedly overwhelmed by an ava
lanchc Of ashes. Nothing, the Professor said,
could be more beautiful than the Roman houses,
fountains and furniture. The toilet Of the
belle Of that age evidently differed little,
he said, from that Of those Of the present day;
for there too, was the rouge with which she sought
to heighten her charms; but which the Professor,
L. al tbao AL; &c