Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1855-07-05

gentleman's villa, and sad extent Of vineyard
and garden ground
On the other side Of the great lava bed
another stream was branching off the San Sc
bastiano. We had hoped 10 have crossed it,
and assembled 10 the cascade again, but it was
no longer possible for, as one says, speaking
of a marshy country in the winter, the lava
was out. The fire here had begun to enter
the burial ground Of the little town, but was
diverted from its conrse BY wall. On the
opposite side of the stream were the king and
all the royal family. The banks on either
side were thronged with curious and anxious
pultitudes, whose faces were lighted up with
the blaze Of hundreds of torches, and with the
more resplendant fame Of the rapidly descend
ing lava. Since the morning it had moved
mile. It was like vast river Of glowing coke.
As it moved on, the tens of thousands of
lumps rolled and tumbled one over the other,
cracking, and grating and when, from the
very face of it, a large lump fell of, the ap-
psarance was that of an iron furnace when the
iron is being drawn. To make the resemblance
more complete, at such times men darted for
wards with long poles, taken from the neigh
boring viney ards, and pulled out great masses
of lava, in which they embedded money for
sale. What struck me at first, and still strikes
me az the most majestic feature in the whole
scene, is the slow, silent, irresistible motion
of that fiery flood. Active, almighty power
without an effort Sweeping everything be-
fore it, overcoming every obstacle, growing up
against intervening walls or houses, and de-
vouring them bodily, and then marching on in
the same silent, unrelenting, irresistible man
ner as before,
There was q spot beneath my feet where a
wall of mason work had been built to break
the violence of the winter floods; 10 this 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 in height, and swelled out its vast propor-
tions, and then vast masses fell off and rolled
forward then it swelled again a. fresh matter
came pressing down behind, and so it broke,
and on it rolled again and again till it had
arrived at the very edge. There was gen.
eral buzz and murmur Of voices. The royal
family stood opposite to me, intermingled with
the crowd, hooking on with intense anxiety
At last it broke, not hurriedly, still with a
certain show of majesty. At first a few small
Jumps fell down then poured over a pure liquid
like thick treacle, clinging sometimes 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, reg
ular course, swelling up and spreading over
the vineyards on either side, and there was a
zSsh for the road which traverses this lava
bed. Houses and the bridge bordered the
road, the carriages had all been ordered off,
and the bridge was being broken down-we
were cut off completely. The scntinels would
not let US pass, and struck US, and drove US
back but we forced our way, and then found
too surely that it was impossible to get on.
The bridge was half demolished, and by the
light of the torches we could see the soldiers
above working away with the pick and the
axe. We had, therefore, to retrace our steps,
and making hong circuit through the open
country and over walls, came round to the top
Of the bridge. Rum said the sentinels, OF
you will be too late.' We crossed the narrow
parapet which was still remaining, and soon
afterwards down went the whole fabric. In
this way it is hoped the lava will be diverted
from the townships of St. Sabastiano, Massi
di Somme and Pollena, which stand on either
side, and have as yet only suffered partially
Cercolo, through which, however, the stream
is rolling, will be sacrificed.
The expectation is that the lava, should the
eruption continue, will flow down to the Ponte
Maddaloni, and into the sea. So grand and
20 destructive an eruption has not been known
for many years, and even now we cannot tell
how or when it will terminate. The noun
tain is literally scanned with lava, and many
fear violent explosion as the final scene Of
the tragedy.