Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-09-22

gigantic exhibitions Of fireworks. The whole
Of tho summit Of the crater s therefore like a
sponge, and must inevitably fall in. The thin
crust trembles under your feet. You may see
the stones dance with the tremuous movement;
the part Immediately around the crater looks
like the sides Of heated copper boiler. Such
is true statement Of what is going on on the
summit There are reports Of an opening tow
ards Pompeii, which is not unlikely, and Of an.
other towards Resina, but have not been op
for some days, as the danger is now very great.
Before ! write again shall make the attempt.
Last night went TO the scene Of most stirring
interest, after an interval Of two days. The
whole length Of this usually quiet road was
like fair, and such was the throng OF carriages
which were moving on in three lines, that il
was with difficulty we ever arrived at our des-
tination. As We approached the menaced
neighborhood the inhabitants were removing
their goods, and on a bridge in the middle Of
the little township Of Cercolo (through which,
in the winter time thunders down from the sum
nit Of Vesuvius one Of those mountain rivers
so well known in ltaly) stood a company OF
Sappers. Creeping under this solid handsome
bridge into the bed Of the river, we wen, up in
the face OF the lava, which was now coming
rapidly down. Here again were Ssppers, rails
ing mounds on either side, TO divert the ruin
from some private grounds, and keep the lava
in one straight course The smoke which rose
over the heads Of the mulilindes told Us We
were close on the spot, and climbing up the
bank and walking along the top. we looked
down on this mighty mass Of FIRE. How chang
ed the neighborhood in two days Where
walked on Sunday night was now a sea Of fire.
The side road by which had ccme down into
the main stream from Pollena and Massa di
Somme was now full Of blackened coke. The
houses on the borders OF the village had fallen
in one 30 poor people lived a small chapel
was swallowed up, genileman's villa, and a
sad extent Of vineyard and garden ground. On
the other side Of the great lava bed another
stream was branching of TO San Sebastiano.-
We had hoped TO have crossed il, and ascended
TO the cascade again, but il was no longer pos
sible for, as one says speaking of a marshy
country in the winter, the lava was out. The
FIRE here had begun to enter the battle-ground
OF the little town, but was diverted from its
course by wall. On the opposite side Of the
stream was the King and all the royal family.
The banks on either side were thronged with
curious and anxious multi,udes, whose faces
were lighted up with the blaze Of hundreds Of
torches, and with the more resplendent fame Of
the rapidly descending lava. Since the morn
ing il had moved a mile. Il was like vast
river Of glowing coke. As it moved on, the
tens Of thousands Of Jumps rolled and iumbled
one over the other, cracking, and grinding, and
grating and when, from the very face of it,
large lump fell on, 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 forwards with long poles,
taken from the neighboring vineyards, and pull
ed out great masses Of lava in which they en-
bedded money for sale. What struck me at
first, and still strikes me as 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 before il, overcoming every obstacle,
growing up against intervening walls or houses,
and deyouring them bodily, and then marching
on in the same silent, unrelenting, irresistible
manner as before. There was spot beneath
my fee, where fall 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 il In an hour as vet i,
was distant from it seventy yards, perhaps
Gradually it rose in height, and swelleJ out it's
vast proportions, and then vast masses fell off
and rolled forward then it sweled again as
fresh matter came pressing down behind, and
50 it broke, and on il rolled again and again
ill it had arrived at the very edge. There
was general buzz and murmur Of voices
The royal family stood opposite 10 me, inter
mingled with the crowd, looking on with in
tense anxiety. At last it broke, not hurriedly,
still with certain show Of majesty. At first
| few small Jumps fell down then poured over
! pure liquid of metal, like thick treacle, cling
ing sometimes mass to mass, from its glutnous
and last of all tumbled over gigantic
Jumps Of scoris. Then on il moved once
more in its silent, regular course, swelling up
Ind spreading over the vineyards on either side;
Ind now there was rush for the road which
raverses this lava-bed. Houses and the bridge
'ordered the road, the carriages had all been
ordered of, and the bridge was being broken
lown-we were cut of completely. The SEN
inels would not let US pass, and struck us and
lroye US back but we forced our way, and
hen found too surely il was impossible to get
IN. The bridge was half demolished. and by
he light Of the torches we could see tho sol
liers above working away with the pick and
he axe. We had therefore TO retrace our steps, !
md making long circuit through the open
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