Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-07-17
From the London Times.
THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT VESUVIUS

THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT VESUVIUS.
Wishing to have another and a more perfect
view of the burning mountain, ON Saturday last,
at about two hours Of day, l started from Naples,
after escaping from all the varied S~eccdture of
guides. torch bearers, drivers, and n host of other
improvised artists, found myself, after three.quar-
tiers of an hours walk, in front of tho fire. Early
as it was there we're many there before me gazing
on the wondrous scene. A vast bed of burning
coke was sweeping down over
amiling vineyards, carrying everything before it.
The mass was, | should say, 500 feet in width
the journal says half a mile-and how long the
eye could not calculate for, looking upward. it
was lost behind the heights As to the rate at
which it was travelling nothing could be more de.
ceptive. Had it been q narrow channel it would
have been comparatively easy to make some deci.
sion, but its very grandeur bafled me. Row of.
ter row of the wires however fell before it-great
trees shivered and shook and tossed about as if u
heavy win dwere blowing, though it was a dead calm
and soon yielded to the destroyer-and, marching
continually over the black fragment Is Of scorie on
the surface, on it came without ceasing. Since
mid day it had advanced full 100 PAGES. There
had been q house on a Ioint not far distant, ten
anted a few hours before. the fragments Of which |
saw in the folds of the lava. The Toor creatures
had taken refuge in a cave formed between the up.
per and lower strata of an old lava eruption. Be.
hind the shoulder of n hillock stood n handsome vii
la which had been saved by its position the
grounds belonging to it were all, however, buried
under the black masses, and the tenants were
standing on the terrace looking down upon the ru-
in and calculating the probabilities of the stream
touching them. Thou ID the whole of this enor-
nous bed was in movement. still, running over it,
or sometimes under it, were two channels of liquid
red hot lava, which had never stopped since they
issued from their sources. The blackened bed
had become SO by an interval of suspension, and
was moved on before the immense weight behind.
IN lnokipp an and oroun6 N M wonder yyoc
whence could have come this enormous quantity
of matter. Could it speak what q history would it
tell how it had 3een turning about to and fro
under the SUI face of the land for the last six months
upheaving and running great cities, destroying
cultivated lands, and carrying death to many thou
sands. The speculation was not an idle one, for
in lees time than an hour later, said Prof. Palmieri
said to me, "lthink the period Of earthquakes has
now "tcrminated for the present. l connect this
eruption with them. | passed to a number Of fine
young vineyards, where the clustered fruits held
out the promise of an abundant vintage. One af
ter another they were shrivelling up and flaming
like small torches, while the country people were
saving what they could. | pass on to the next
point of Importance it is half way up the noun
tain. | wind and wind up, and make a series of
short cuts steep enough to take ali the breath out
of a mans body. and stand all at once on a crag
which command a view of one Of the most magni-
fcent spectacles | ever witnessed. TIE whole
stream is visible from the source to the plte which
| have just left; it is coursing down, fol here are
more than one stream, as rapid as a Cd kde; in
fact, they are cascades of as pure liqty Ore as
can be well conceived sometimes the sthe ptdden
under the blackened scorie, and thenas ! -#e.erge
again, and run on as if impatient of eApuLction.
it was one of those spect"cles so astoPt1ing to
look upon that n man seeks in some wayfb relieve
his feelings. lilo bursts if he is silent The must
shout, scream, anything to let off his pent up ex-
%citement, and | suppose that / did so myself. 1t
. pouy Il ,eG tIa ALA a,.Ik g.,
idly upon us, the sun has just gone down, and the
stars are out in a minute, and we have yet to climb
to the top so one pull more. There is a lazy blaze
Frenchman with his C st toujours le meme "And
why should VIC 60 further ?"-but we pull him
along morally and physically, and at last arrive at
the Hermitage Behind it is another grand spec
tacle, perhaps grander even than what we have
just described There is less apparent activity,
but the gorge is wider, and the slow but certain
manner in which the mass moves on gives us q
striking idea of power. 1t is $50 feet in width (;
to calculate its bulk by millions of tuns would be
only triflinS with a giant-we might better calcu-
late by tho million the enormous quantities
which are issuing every minute from the many
sources. In all there are IL and upward, says
Prot. Palmieri, and this fact constitutes one of the
striking features Of this eruption, as does also the
fact that they do not run ia one line but are OPEN
ed IN various parts. Another new feature is the
lOng-continued huidity of the lava, all showing
the overgorged state Of the mountain and the i'm
mense power at work. 1t was the oninion of the
Professor, however, that the eruption was on the
decline, as no internal rumblings were now heard
The lava had found its outlets, and was now
pouring down with the ~rapidity and tranquility of
an unobstructed stream. There have been eight
earthquakes since the eruption began, local only,
perhaps and the last as marked ia the sessimo.
graph of Paimeri, had taken place that morning,
at u O'Clock. Nothing had been removed from
the Observatory, nor in fact was there any imme-
date danger, as there was q vast depth behind
which has not filed up as yet. An Inconvenience
might have arisen from a union of the two streams
which were flowing down, and men were always
on the watch and to report. On descending we
met thousands of people en- route from Naples
The path for miles down was marked by n line Of
torches the gorge down which the lava was coars.
ing looked at a distance like a vast crater. the
walls OF which were irradiated by the fires below
The stream has advanced SO rapidly as to cut off our
road, so we were compelled to make long detour.
Arrived at the lava bed we stopped to gaze ON
the scene of ruin and of grandeur, bought some
coins Embedded in lava, and falling into the de-.
~scending line of human beings soon found our.
selves in Resina. 1t is only a short hours drive
to Naples, and grand was the spectacle which the
mountain presented from a distance IN to the
very streets the reflection Of the two great streams
fell across the sea.
On Sunday, at mid day, the eruption seemed to
be on the decrease, and the spectacle was less
granu q" 'he evening" Last evening, however,
there was much greater activity, and this morning
the increased length of the line of smoke seems 10
Indicate mach greater activity. No life has az
yet been lost legs aud arms have been brokau.
and a child who bad strolied out to the Ottrsiaoo
side OF the lava had fallen asleep, and not until
the stream was close up to it had some men her,
.ceived it's dangerous situation, and rescued 4 at
considerable risk to themselves.
DEATH OF FATHER MARQUETTE.