Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1855-08-02

Letter from Hon. Robt. Dale Owen.
NAPLES, June %, 1856.
preserve so grateful and agreeable recol-
lections, my dear of the pleasant
hours in your parloF at Indianapolis, for which
was indebted to yourself and the Judge,
that ann fain to persuade myself, that a
letter from an old friend, dated from his dis
tant Italian home, may not be wholly unin-
teresting nor unwelcome-
have heard you express great desire to
visit this region of the world, so celebrated IN
the past. so beautiful in the present. And
very surely you would not be disappointed.
High as were my expectations from the ac-
counts had read of the bay of Naples, the
reality came up to them all. One Of their
poets has described it as IVA pezzO di cielO ca
duto IN tesra'-(s bit of Heaven, dropped
down upon earth, } and when one looks upon
it at its best moments and in its various as
poets of loneliness, the hyperbole seems not
out of place. / do not wonder that Neapoli-
tans, driven to other lands by tyrrany or want,
yet droop and pine after the delicious eli
mate and luxurious scenery of their own.
The thermometer ranges from about 2So
to $50; its extreme range being about 600 in
stead of 1900, as with us. l have not seen
snow except on the distant mountains, for
two wears; and in summer the heat can but
rarely be called oppressive. There is al
ways a pleasant evening sea-breeze, under
the invigorating influence Of which one can
walk out without inconvenience.
The one object Of most interest, perhaps
is Vesuvius, about eight miles from the city,
seen from every portion of the bay and neigh
borhood-the marked feature in every land
scape-a slight smoke issuing from its sum-
NIT, terribly suggestive of the devastation 1t
has often spread around, and which it still
retains the power to reproduce.
If you could but have visited us last
month! Only think of it; we have had an
eruption; the lava pouring forth in an inces-
SAINT stream some nine or ten miles in length,
for twenty-six days! would have willing
ly gone thousand miles to see it. Its a sight
to remember while one lives.
1t was late in the evening of the Both of
April, think, that my servant entered the
room, with face of eagerness, exclaiming:
an vesuvio ia yfilscot' Chat is, "makes fire.
/ assembled to the terrace of the house, and
there became aware that was at last to wit
ness an eruption. Through good telescope
/ could distinguish on the Northern slope Of
the cone and about two thirds of the way up
the mountain, small crater throwingu up red
hot stones, and the lava descending from it.
/ subsequently visited the spot twice, al
night; but despair of conveying to yor
any adequate idea of the scene. There had
been formed FIVE craters, or "moulds Of fire,
as they called them, none exceeding 80 Oh
40 feet in height; one or two giving forth
fame only, the others throwing up at inter
walls, with low rumbling or moaning sound
slight showers Of red hot stones, ashes, scorie
&C.; resembling artificial fireworks on
grand scale. From these poured forth two
streams of lava in a perfectly liquid state
flowing down the steep descent with velo
city of or miles an hour. Each stream
might be some 80 or 40 feet wide, and exact,
the color of gold. Down the center of eacl
was a broad, perfectly smooth, FURNISHED
stripe, while on each side it was somewha
roughened, like dead gold. No partial cool
ing had yet darkened its surface or arrested
its flow. If some volcano in California shoul'
ever pour forth, in liquid form, her bidder
treasures, the stream would not appear othe
or more brilliant than that which now fiowe,
before US.
To reach the edge of this stream, 1 crosse
the lava of the preceding day, the surface @
which had already hardened, so that ther
was little risk except to the soles of one
boots. approached within eight or ten fee
of one of the craters, which was then vomit
ing forth fame There, however, the hea
was so excessive, that l could only remain
few seconds. So quickly returned to gaz
at safer distance, on the unearthly scene.-
Never, never can / forget it The entir
course of the lava was marked by superin
cumbent curtain of dense vapor, lighted u
by the lurid glare from the river of fire be
low. This sulphurous canopy rolled up tn
mountain, settling upon it in heavy masse
of dark clouds, completely concealing ii
summit. Immediately around us, every thin
showed clearly as by day. But what light
such an one as we may suppose shed owe
MMToN's Satan and his audience, when h
was stirring the fallen angels, to second re
bellion. Men looked like spectres in it. TIL
pitchy darkness which brooded on the uppe
! mountain was momentarily illuminated fror
time to time, by the sudden flaming forth G
the highest among these newly formed crater
situated some three or four hundred yards u
the slope of the cone. experienced a strang
desire to ascend and penetrate the mysterie
of that region of mingled fire and gloom
: But it would have been madness; for
every step on the road one would have bee
exposed to showers of red hot stones; to sa
nothing of the chance Of new crater sud
denly opening beneath ones feet, SO 1 re
Trained, calling to mind some lines from m
favorite Schiller, occurring in his ballad, "Th
Diver"
Mud der Meueh versache die Gotter NIGHT
Mud bsgchre WINNER uad wiwmer zu schauen
Was sic guadg bedecken wit Nacht and wit graven.7
Il forget whether you read German or no
: But in case you do not these lines may
thus translated.
Sand let not tempt the Gods;
And never, never let him seek To behold
What they, In their mercy, cover up with night an
darknessr
j Following the current of lava to about
mile and half from its source we reaches
a perpen iicular ledge of rock, over which i
poured in cataract of fire, some 80 or 40 fee
in depth and 80 or 100 feet in width, divide
in the centre by dark projecting rock, whic