The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-02-22
Eruption Of Mount Vesuvius'
Sabine Volcanic Display.
Correspondence Of the London Timesl

NAPLES, November 20.-Unlike those terrific
displays which we have had at times, and which
cease with one great effort, this is n lava eruption.
increasing ever in force and beauty, and promising
a duration of some weeks, If not months. If So
and it is the opinion of those most experienced In
these matters-all the world may see it as soon as
the groundless fears as TO the state of Naples have
yanished. For the first one or two nights the
mountain was modest enough In its demonstration
tongues of fire shot up To announce its internal
agitation. and n thin stream of lava trickled down
behind in the direction of Ottajano, which lies on
the southeast side of Nesuyius.
Since December, 1861, ii has been almost quies-
cent, with the exception of one or two sulky and
uncertain pufIs, and our clear blue atmosphere
has ceased To be marked with the spiral columns
of smoke. During the last two years n small cone
has been formed by the matter gradually elected
from this sulphurous hole; we would scarcely see
its head above the walls of the large crater, but
within the last week, like some presumptuous
stripping it has shot mp above its venerable parent,
and this il is which has been Tuning and s~plutter-
ing and storming with all the arrogant imIatience
of youth since last Wednesday. 1t has sent forth
an immense quantity of lava, converting the sur
rounding crater into II lake of fire.
Giovanni Cozzolino was our guide, who, by
virtue of having accompanied Humboldt and many
of the scientific and literary men of the age, expects
his own name TO be enrolled in literary annals.
He il, however, n very safe and Intelligent guide.
There was no incident 10 mark until we got TO the
IUDI vi m I'LL tDLt Mutu VIC uCdT III IuQIQcT
of the mountain and felt the shocks of an earth
quake at every effort to disgorge the liquid fire.
Ascending by the usual road, we were compelled,
on approaching the summit, to skirt q little round
to the southeast, for two reasons-frst, to get on
the blind side of the wind, which might have
brought down upon us an announcement shower of
stones; and, secondly, to obtain n better view of
the main stream, which was fed, not only by the
crater, but by another orifce opened outside, about
twenty feet in diameter.
From this spot the stream of living fire, full
twenty To thirty feet i'm width, poured down to the
bottom of tine mountain rapidly where it met with
no obstacles, and where it did, struggling energet-
Ically until 1t carried everything before IT. To the
edge of the crater it was impossible to approach;
the heat was scorching; and what would have
been the consequences had the lava boiled over and
come down upon us? 1t was difficult, therefore,
TO form any fair estimate of it's size, but one
might have supposed that il was not more than
seventy feet in diameter 1t was not a moment,
however, for figures when Nature was exhibiting
her power in one of its grandest forms.
There was a roar and 4 shock, and then shot
forth flames and stones full | 900 feet in height,
at intervals of from one to five seconds, according
To the watch OF one of the party these trcmen-
dous commissions were repeated, and then came
the descending shower, composed of stones of
various sizes, some certainly half n ton in weight
Judging by the bulk. We could mark their course
by the eye as long as they retained their red heat,
but ON approaching the earth they blackened, and
then the ear alone could tell what was spotting
and pitting the earth around.
BY the same person who had already acted as
calculator it was declared that the descent occu-
pied five seconds-muc in excess, Ishould imagine,
of the actual time. Precision, of course. was i'm
possible in the excitement of such a scene, and If
we say that one thousand feet was the height
attained we shall not be wide of the mark. 1t
was n nervous proximity TO danger on which to
stand, so the whole party soon decamped, and got
back TO Naples shortly after midnight, awe struck
by n scene which never can be forgotten. Yet,
without the fatigues of an ascent, any one can
from the city enjoy a spectacle of marvellous
beauty, only diminished in proportions as compar-
ell with that which L have just described. There
is no sound, but there are those everlasting flames,
across the centre of which is sometimes drawn a
swathe of dark clouds, giving to their submits the
appearance of greater height and the sky is CLAIR
ing with n deep red color; and mighty stones,
reduced 10y distance, are falling like myriads of
stars on the summit of the mountain, the foot Of
which is wrapped in darkness. What n gorgeous
scene, and how much more gorgeous it promises
to be-