Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-06-09
Naples, May 10th.

the correspondent of the London Times, writing
FROM
Naples, May 10Th.
The lava has now advanced ten miles from its
source and is doing terrible damage. | have be-
fore me the report of Cozzoline us to the latest
changes which have taken place about the cone
Just at the base of it Il lake Of fire has been form
ed which looks like a red sea in an undulatory
state. In the very center Of this has opened an
other crater, which is throwing out red hot stones.
On the morning of the 7th the crater Mt the very
summit fired, as it were two heavy cannonades;
and after sending forth tightening, flames and
stones, broke up altogether. In the middle Of the
cone ten craters have been formed and from these
the lava pOurs forth like a river and runs on the
side of the Cavello as far as the Minatora. Here
four other craters have been formed, which throw
up bitumen in the manner of pyramids, and re-
semSle gigantic exhibitions of fire works. Tie
whole Of the summit of the crater is therefore like
a sponge and must inevitably fall in. You may
see the stones dance with the tremulous movement;
the part Immediately around the crater looks like
the sides of q heated copper boiler.
The banks on either side were thronged with Gu
rious and anxious multitudes, whose faces were
lighted up with the blaze Of hundreds of torches
and with the more Respondent fame OF The rapid
ly descending lava. Since the morning it had
moved a mile. 1t was like a vast river Of glowing
coke. As it moved on, the tens Of thousands OF
Jumps rolled and tumblcd one over the other,
cracking and grinding and grating; and when
from the very face of it a large lump fell of, the
appearance was that of an iron furnace when the
iron is being drawn. To make the resemblance
more complete, at such times men darted forward
with long poles taken from the neighboring vine
yards, and pulled out great masses Of lava in
which they imbedded money for sale. What struck
me at first and still strikes me as the most mGjes'
tic feature in the whole scene, is the slow silent
and irresistible motion Of that fiery food. Active
almighty power without an effort! Sweeping
everything before it, overcoming every obstacle,
growing up against intervening walls or houses,
and devouring them boldly, ard then marching on
in the came silent and unrelenting, irresistible
feet where IL fall of mason work had been built to
spot all eyes were directed. The fiery river would
fall over it in an hour; as yet it was distant from
it seventy yards PERHAPS. Gradually it rose il
height and swelled out its vast proportions, and
then vast masses fell off and rolled forward; ther
it swelled again as fresh matter came pressing
down behind, and 30 it broke, and on it rolled
again and again till it had arrived at the very
edge. There was a general buzz and murmur o.
voices. Tho Royal family stood opposite to me
intermingled with the crowd, looking on with in.
tense anxiety. At last it broke, not h~urridly, still
with a certain show Of majesty. AT first q few
small Jumps fell down; then poured over a pure
liquid of metal like thick treacle, clinging some.
times mass to mass, from its glutinous character
and last Of all tumbled over gigantic Jumps Of
scorie. Then on it moved once more in its silent
course, swelling up and spreading over this vine
yards on either side.
Tho expectation is that the lava, should the
eruption continue, will flow down ~ the Ponte