The New York herald., 1875-12-25
vESUVIUS.
FIRST SYMPTOMS or THE PRESENT VOLCANIC
ERUPTIoN-THE NUMBKn or CONNECTIONS OF
TIE BURNING MoUNTAIS-THE ''sEIsMooRApH,

FIRST SYMPTOMS or THE PRESENT VOLCANIC
ERUPTIoN-rHE NUMBEn or CONNECTIONS OF
TIE BURNING MoUNTAIS-THE ''sEIsMooRAPH,
on EARTHQUAKE WRITER"
Naples (Noy 27) correspondence or the American
PARIS Registor.l
Probably before this letter reaches tho Register you
viii have already inserted In your columns the no
tIco from Professor Palmeri. who watches high up in
tho observatory tho slopes OF Vesuvius that the old
volcano is showing signs Of an eruption. The daily
Iungoio Of Naples is the ordinary medium Of the Pro-
fessors announcements OF tho threatening OF the his
torlc (and for all that prehstoric) fire mountain that
its graceful form above the Bay OF Naples Before
the Bourbon regime had ceased observations were
abshed in tho meteorological observatory referred to-
with the end in Of recording tho phenomena con-
nocted with vesuvus and If possible, to give warning
Of approaching eruplons. This has boen partially sue
cessfu for that most frequently recurring phenomenon
In connection with volcanoes--the earthquake-is
Immediately detected by an instrument called
sEIsMoGRAPH
earthquake writer) the slightest shock is readily in
dicated by tho sensitive mechanism This instrument
is the invention OF Pameri, who professor in the
University OF Naples and one Of the most eminent
physicists living No proper description could be given
without engravings of the seismograph by which the
Professor feels the pusations OF earthquakes; but
Robert Mallet the first authority earthquakes and
volcanoes states the general principle TO DO ono GIN
which wave movements are indicated by the dispiace-
ment relative absolute, of columns of mercury in
glass tubes 1t is selfrecording instrument composed
of two distinct portionsone for record Of horizontal
or rather what called unduatory Shocks the other
for vertical shocks" Now, while the sesmograph has
been most successful in recording the earthquake
movements foretcller Of cruptons II cannot be
said 10 be perfectly reliable when taken aone but IL
fIcr rdfp urntu
servations OF the gneous and other Indications OF Vc
suvus eruption can pretty surely be ioreod Such
conjunction has just occurred, which has caused the
communication TO the PnDgoto, and we learn from Pro-
essor Palmcri that Vesuvius gives unmistakabe symp
toms of an approaching eruption.
THR CRATER
formed by tho terrible eruption o1s72 has been falling
in the southeast or TO use tho exact language of the
Professor has been 'sbccoming bottomless, with ema-
nations OF black smoke The instruments at the OBJ
servatory slightly agitatcd. There s no telling
when igneous results VIII follow these Indications But
in the month OF December, 1854 similar phenomenon
manifested itself in the crater and the eccentric crup-
ton, with copious floods of lava took place in May,
1857
THE PROFESSOR DOES NOT PREDICT
with absolute certainty when the next eruption will
take place Indeed, he cannot for we must remember
that Monte Nuovo, in the sixteenth century,
thrown up between Pozzuolo (PutcolD and Baia in
single night; and, Mallet has well observed "a small
fusade may go on for months, and yet, without an
hours notice by any premonitory sign, may waken up
with roar, and darken the air with ashes and tapal
such as those which overwhelmed Pompeii One erup-
ton may blow forth little but dust and ashes $50 caed
and another may pour out rivers OF lava and little ese
ERUPTION 1850
took place in February OF that year. when happened
to bo travelling in Southern Italy. was just finishing
M; student days and my mind was very open to i'm
prossc. Since thu. tlo have gazed not only upon
StrombJN and Etna but upon the oitiest volcanoes OF
South America but for the display OF awful powcr-of
awful sublimty and grandeur--no after scene i'm
pressed more solemniy and deeply than this crup
ton or Mount Vesuvius, when the mountain, ceasing
10 eject volcanic matter rom its ordinary channel,
opened far below two crater5 tho very side
the southeastern-which is giving threatening
indications. The crater in 1850 shot forth three
streams Of lava The most considerable that which
took tho direction OF Bosco Reale village just above
Pompc Indeed, the lava, II it had flowed little
than milo further, would havo utterly destroyed what
the ashes left OF Pompeii 1,S00 years ago This lava
stream in rushing toward the village OF Bosco Rcale,
marched through wool OF oak scx and ash. AS it
enclosed tho trees the heat engendercd stoam IN the
cavities of tho and trunks the loud detonaons
of bursting trees and the immediate blaze which io-
lowed formed pyrotechnic display of the most bril-
liant character
THE NUMBER RECORDED ERUPrroNs
from the hrst century to the seventeenth inclusive
nineteen, little than the average OF per
turv. During the eighteenth century there
twenty three, the average Of about four and
half years. Up 10 the present time in this century
there havc occurred twonty lvo eruptions aver
age OF one in every three years As the last took
place in April, 1872, may confidently soon look for
another