The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-10-27

hunter comes 10 0lsturO inc Wlld boar IN MS
lair.
The Monte Cigliauo is a smaller cone with a
deep crater, between the Astron and Monte
Barbara. Monte Csmpana, further TO the
but neither of these differ essentially from
the Monte Nuovo, which Is much more
recent, and atfOlds more perfect illustrations
OF lis volcanic character The Campglione
is more distinctive and very much larger.
1t is the name given to the fiat bottom
OF an immense crater, and It's soil has long
beer remarkable for extreme fertility. The hill
forming part of the cone once inclosing the
PLAIN is called the Monte Barbara ana is quite
as remarkable and valuable as the plain, inas.
much as its vines are among the best in the
ueighborhood. They are among those that in
the palmy days OF Rome yielded the real Faer.
nian. Before the formation of the Monte Nuovo
the Monte Barbara must have been a promi-
nent object from the sea, but lt Is now con-
cealed. The weathering of scores OF centuries
has also no doubt helped TO reduce the height
OF this cone, and raise the bottom of the crater
The Monte Nuovo, formed with extraordinary
rapidity in the year 1858, is In some respects
the most interesting, as 1T Is the newest and
most perfect. of all the inactive craters around
Yesuvius. Very minute accounts remain of
TINS great eruption, which was apparently
somewhat different from what is usual In
the distinct. Shortly before the final
outburst, numerous earthquakes, rapidly sue.
ceeding each other convulsed the whole dis
tT1ct OF the Phlegr@an fields, and produced
permanent changes OF level over large tract
OF country. 1t is even recorded that the sea-
line was removed about third of mile back
in many places while in certain limited areas
the ground sank, forming CULTS and wide and
deep trenches, from which water issued. The
water was at first cold. 1t soon became hotter
increasing to the boiling point, and then issued
steam, at high temperature, blackened by
large quantities of volcanic dust, forming a
dense mud, deluging Pozzuoli, and reaching as
far as Naples, about ten miles distant. On the
cessation of this eruption of wet ashes and mud
dry ashes and red-hot fragments of corie sue
ceeded, and were thrown out in enormous
quantities, reaching even one hundred and fifty
miles from the spot. In the course of less
than three days a considerable bill was
formed -, round the place of eruption.
This bill at first was a mile and a half
in circumference, and rose to four hundred and
.orty ieet above the sea level, completely
covering village, and 6lng up more than half
OF a large lake at a little distance A lew
smaller eruptions of the same kind followed
after very short intervals, but since then everC-
thing has been perfectly quiet. No lava cur.
rent issued, and the mischief done was com-
paratiyely small; 1t is impossible to visit
and examine the Monte Nuoyo- i'm its
present state without recalling something
OF this history. It is, perhaps, the only
cone and crater OF eruption in the neigh
borhood in which there has been no apparent
change produced by the intiltration OF gases
and steam since the close OF the original erup-
ilon. There are no st'.te or hot-air emanations
IN lts Immediate vicinity. 1t is the result of n
feW days subterranean activity commencing
suddenly, and terminating completely aIter
q very short time. On the 2Sth Septembar were
felt the first serious indications of approaching
volcanic activity; aud ON the 9th of October
following the last were OBJ: :erved. In this
seven days however, much was done and the
effects still remain. There is still the conical
MI IisIpg abruptly out OF the plain, aud show
ing at the top circular ridge. The slopes of
this hill ARE still composed of scoriaceons lava
and black volcanic sand. The substance of the
NIL is tufa, with dykes of coarse scoriaceous
hn aInN NunIf h.r.
TOUR hundred feet above the sea (three hundred
and eighty feet according to nv measure 11ent
with good anerod but under unfayorable
OF the atmosphere), and thus, if the
OLD estimate OF four hundred and forty feet is
correct, it must have been greatly lowered by
the rains OF five centuries. On reaching the
ridge, which is easy enough, the sides being
covered H,I WITH low underwood and trees, we look
lied feet below the highest part of the ridge.
aud only about eighty ieet above the sea. The
walls OF this crater are still very Steep and the
pc down to the circular area at the bottom
winUs round the inside. This area appears flat
but is higher on the side towards the north
east. 1t is cultivated, yielding good croos of
maize and some varieties of vegetation: and
thus its soil, which is entirely volcanic has
decomposed favorably. The walls of the crater
are tuiaceous, and incline at a considerable
angle. They are cut by few dykes of hard
rock. The diameter OF the circular plain I
10 be abont one hundred and eighty
ARDS. In the last century, according to Sir
William Hamilton, 1t was considered that the
depression OF the crater below the highest
point was almost as great as the elevat on OF
the highest part of the cone alb ove the sea, the
latter beng four hunured and forty and the
former four hundred and nineteen, showing a
dIherencC of twenty -onc feet. AT present the
respective figures are three hundred and eighty
thee hundred, and twenty feet The chief
alteration, as might have been supposed, has
been in the height of the cone which is easily
acted on by weather.
Shells have hFan npcaSipnalIv found in ho
Cufaceous mass of which the walls of Monte
Nuovo are composed, and | found fragments
both OF iron ore and OF compact basalt, the
latter in considerable quantity. These we're
no doubt, portions OF the strata detached and
thrown up into the air by the force of the eXplo-
sion. 1t Is said by some OF the observers that
stones as large as an OK were thrown up into
The air during the eruI too, and no one VINO
1as walked over the slopes of Vesuvus and
the huge angular blocks of grey
lava thrown out within the last few years and
still unaltered, can doubt that this is perfectly
possible, and even probable.
Beyond the Monte Nuovo we come TO the in
5eresting and classical Lake Avemus, also
occupying an inactive crater. II is large, the
axe being mile and a half round, and open
towards the south in the direction of another
Wellknown piece of wafer, the Lucrine lake.
The gloom that once attached to Avernus has
cow disappeared, and il, as is not unlikely. large
luan cities OF carbonic acid gas were emitted
rom creVices in the neighborhood i'm the cIas
,ical times, these also have been choked up. II
seems probable that the crater was then i'm the
state OF the present Sollatara: and it is quite
certain that the changes of level that have been
alluded to in speaking OF the Monte Nuovo
eruption, greatly affected the condition of the
whole nelehborhood. The effects of the gases
ssuing from the earth in all this neehboThood
we're well known, and made good use of by the
priests of the pagan temples that abounded in
he disIrict and 1t was not Till the time of
Augustus, when the Avernus and Luorine lakes
we're connected by an open cut with the sea.
- MT hat Aha i