Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1858-07-30
VOLCANIC ERUPTEONs.

1t is but few years since the volcanoes of
Hecla in Iceland, Etna in Sicily and Vesuylus
in Italy, were in active operation at the same
time. The altitude of Hecla and Vesuvus are
nearly equal, but that Of Etna is about ten
thousl md feet above the sea, or nearly double
that of Hecla aud Vesuvns.
GA the 14.h January, lS48, when the hery
eruptious of Hecla we're subsiding the ashes
began 10 ascend from the crater, and were
thrown 10 such height in the atmosphere as to
fall on the Faro Islands, three hundred and
sixty miles distant.
Osouoro, Acoucsgua an CouseguiDg, three
volcanoes in the COrdilleras, s. A.. extending
&c line Of two thousand seven hundred miles,
were all conyulse1 at tho same time.
The volcanoes Of Malaa L9a and kilauea,
Sandwich Islands, open IN the atmosphere AT
the respective heights Of ten and Gfteen tnous-
and feet above the sea level. These volcanoes
are the largest yet discovered in our earth, and
during one Of the eruptions one Of these vol
canoes discharged a river of lava seventy miles
In length, five miles in breadth, and of unmeas-
ured depth, in the short period o. about seventy
days.
The Azore Islands, in one of which famine
is now doing the work of death, have beneath
them aud beneath the sea that surrounds them
volcanic fires of great energy, that even the
ocean, with all its mighty power, is unable to
drown or extnguish.
On the 18th of October, 1848, one of the
volcanoes 10 the New Zealand Islands was
aroused from a long slunber, and about a
thousand shocks of earthquake attended its
convulsions. The Aurora Australs kindied up
! its light, and terrific thunder, and vivid and
! e
stration of the majesty and sublimity of the
great phenomena of nature. 1t was then that
| shocks of earthquake were felt Simultaneously
on the opposite side of the globe, it was then
that the Aurora Borealis ani Aurora Australis
uDIted and bright band encircled the whole
earth.
When Hecla, in Iceland, was convulsed, the
| eruption produced a pestilence that destroyed
both man and beast Tue black-tonguo dis
ease there resulted from Volcano eruption,
snd SO fearfully malignant was that pestilence,
that 10 many cases the tongues fell from the
mouth of the victim before life was extinct
a volcano capable cf dischargi0g river Of
molten lava seventy miles long aud five miles
wide, is capable of affecting sne atnosphers Of
the earth over an Immense surface, and does
affect it, as our Y9luminous records of natu-
raj phenomena compared with cur meteorologi-
| cal records show.
Africa has not, as far as | am aware, a vol
cano on Its continent; but there are volcanoes
on the very borders of that continent
4 In my geological, researches GU the American
continent have formed the opinion that the
/ great American lakes, which describe curve
on the sphere of the earth, have resulted from
volcanic action; and Ontario, deep lake, now
reposes IN the crater of vnlcano, and its oc-
casional tidal flows and ftful ebulIitions no
! doubt result from volcanic action deep in the
bowels of the earth.
! The immense masses of metallic copper found
/ filling the rock assures in the vicinity of Lake
Superior, and the agates found in that vicinity
have no doubt resulted from volcanic ac-
tion h. NJ.
LJ0uraaL of Commerce.