Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1854-09-04
MISCEI,L A N E @ u S.
E1wNA: A rHHInLiNG Tai

AmQnnfhe wondroes sights Oh the earth,
the 41IE Of Htna will always hold a
lust pre-Smninenee. Renowned by past
aud pi resent history, sublime by its eleya-
ton, its form, and the awful secresy of un-
known terroIs which lie concealed within
its bosom, the Sicilian volcano will always
be viewed with the deepest, the most
solemn awe.
1t was with such feelings and with such
thoughts as these that began to ascend
the volcano OIL The morning of the 18TH Of
Nav, 1S49. L had left Catania on the day
before, in order to visit this wonderful
spot. | did not wish to glance carelessly
| upon it--ne; .et.to re there was "a ways
something reverend, something almost di-
vine, in connection with this great mass Of
upheaved lava which led me TO look earn
estly at its rugged sides. wished to as-
cend, to view from its summit the fairest
regions on earth 10 glance down, down
into those unfathomable depths where fire,
fire in all its terror, forever dwells, forever
struggles!
1t was with slow steps that assembled
the cone, after the patient and hardy po-
MES had been dismissed. had been an
invalid, and the fatigue of climbing up the
steep and rocky declivity might well have
daunted me. But after many resting and
many hal,ings, was able to attain the
summit.
The summit! Good heavens can ever
forget the oelirium Of joy, which the
boundless prospect there awakened within
me Can ever forget the glimpse which
first caught of all the glores and all the
horrors OF nature mingled together IN such
fearful unison
Far away on one side spread the fertile
plains, the green meadows and the gentle
valleys OF Sicily. There were streams
CHANGING and flashing IN the sun as they
!. wandered to the sea, with ten thousand
labvrinthian turnings; lakes whose CLASSY
surface showed not ruifle, not a ripple
there were terraces npon the sides OF a
hundred hills, where vineyards were plant
ed, and where the treilised vines passed
along, ali green. all blooming; there were
groves CT orange-trees, amid the dark
green foliage OF which the golden oranges
pesped forth like the flashes of phospho-
resent light in a midnight sea; there
were long avenues of expresses of acacias
of noble trees of many kinds, amid which
kingly assemblage at times could be seen
the noble summit Of some stately PALM a.
it lowered on high above the others.
And the seattle wide, the boundess
the deep-blue Mediterranean--there il
spread away, on the other side, as far as
J the thoughts could run--glorious as
? s'lhe dashiug,
Silver flashing
T Surges OF Sah-Sanvador.o
But turn aside-and there, beneath tal
beneath, lies an abyss like that of which
Milton has sung in sublmest mortal
} strains. - ,.s,,
-: Jown ',wu! The thick
and funeral volumes OF tcrtuo~. So. III
ing came seething upward as Iro.a ~
dron. 1t escaped from q myriad creylccl
in the rocky, PERCEPTIONS sides it poured
forth from behind projections, and unitec
with the vast mass which came sublimely
upward from the unbelievable depths.
Here, upon the sandy, rocky edge
where sulphur, and crumbled lava, ant
pumice-stone, were al. mingled togethe
10 form holrld SOIL, mere sa'' anu iooA
! ed down. From the scene beyond, from
! that glimpse of earth. which made il seen
!, like heaven; from that vision of all tina
q was most lovely and all that was mos
overpowering; to turn and gaze into
volcanoes awful depths-what change!
Involved in thousand thoughts So
there, thinking myself alone, when sud
den grating struck my ear. ! was star!le
= exceedingly, and turned around. Th
place where | had been sitting was pen
insular projection Of the cliff which form
ed part Of This internal chasm. Upon tn
d narrow strip Of land which joined IT to tn