The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1868-03-14

Ahe newspaper correspondents who &c.
company the English expedition to Abyssinia
are writing some interesting sketches of the
G;,ountry ana the customs of the people. -
We CLEAN the following from mass Of this
correspondence:
ASCENl OF THE JEBBEL TIER VOLCANO.
The "Old Shekarry, an English Nimrod
who recently published book of hunting
adventures. ID in the expedition as CORES.
porndent of the London Telegraph. BE
writes an account Of TIE grea: volcano Of
the country:
'Botween inc two craters, at a short dis.
lance from the shore, waL tolerably level
pam, extending for about two hundr, d
yards, on which few atunted bushes-th.
Only shrubs we saw-seemed struggling for
existence with TUFTS OF dried up grass. Al
though the vegetation appeared SO scan,y.
the place teemed with animal life; large
white beaded fish eagles wero circling high
IN the arr and thousands OF boobies, cor.
moEants, gnlIs and other sea. birds. few
screaming over our heads, and uttering
strange, Wild, dlscordant cries, as if to
lflGh'en away the intruders from their do.
man. We passed numberless boobies sit
ting on eggs which We're laid in little hol.
lows III Inc iavn, wlthont any appearance OF
nest, and they we've So tame that they al
lowed us TO approach within Il couple of
Yards before they attempted to move, and
then they only few few PAGES distant.
In Tie center of this sei7'e pieiae. which
was about mile and halt in diameter,
were two conspicuous looking peaks or cra,
tiers, about two hundred yards distant one
from the other. The first was cone of
1l"ck clnders, some seventy feet in height,
and the ether, which was somewhat higher,
n raifF 4 -
were signs Of vegetation on irs side, The
aneroii barometer showed the altitude Of
the plateau TO be seven hundred and sixty
feet above the level of the sea.
After making sketch of The STRANGELY
weird like scene before US. we carefully
picked. our way over the blocks of lava to-
ward the base Of the highest peak. As I'VE
approached we saw the first signs that tho
volcano was not extinct, for we perceived
puhs OF yapor rising from small crater
about halt way up the side Of the larger
one, and getting well to windward, so as to
be clear Of any noIious gases, we com
menced the ascent, and were soon standing
by natural caalGron of molten sulphur'
which wac boiling and bubblng up as if there
was al immense fire below. The brink an
peared to be hard and firm. 90 | cautiously
advanced to the edge, and tried TO sound it,
depth with bamboo, but ionnl no bottom.
In some places, as the vapor forced its way
to the surface Of the noiten mass, the sui.
phur formed mushroom, shaped tuberces.
which hardened by exposure TO the air
and, with the aid OF stick, broke of and
collected several of these, which found to
be OF pure Sulphur, highly cryslalized in the
inside. The diameter OF this cauldron VIZ,
about thirty feet, and there must have been
many tons of pure sulphur in it. Al one
side OF the crater perceived some compo,
sition in state of fusion, Of beautiful
bright mauve color; streaked with purple
but the coiors became duller as the substance
got cold, or after exposure 10 the air.
Having collected specimens Of the differ
ent metallic substances in the immediate vi,
entity OF the crater, VIC were making our
way toward the summit of the peak, when
my attention was attracted 10 what, at first
appearance, seemed to be Il small spring.
oozlng from ont Of chasm in the slope Of
the hill, as there was some semblance OF
pure moss near it. On approaching nearer.
| found thai the liquid with which the earti,
all round was saturated. was caused by a iet
Of stenm or hot vapor that issued from
tissnre, becoming condensed by exposure to
the air. The ground and heritage all around
was covered with dew-like drups. which
found tasteless, like pure water The green
that, at a short distance. looked like moss.
resembled that kind OF slime often seen on
the surface Of stagnant ponds. From MI.
merous assures in the earth vapor and iets
Of smoke issued, and there were evident
signs that the volcano was not dead, bn.
sleeping