The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-10-08

find out, or so much as guess, at tiie
meaning of it, or Of any natural cause 10
produce Il till the whole came TO discover
itself" the news came by "some vessels
that were under sail, in the night OF the
2eth. belonging to Martinco,' by when
we had the following particulars: tnat on
the night OF the said 18th, about mldnlghl'
the whole island of ST. Vincent rose up
I'm the air. with a most dreadful eruption
of fire from underneath the earth, ana
an incOnceivable noise In the ar III 10
rising ND, that il was not only plo"h up
but blown out Of the very sea- WIN
dreadful force, as it were torn up Oy lhe
roots. or blown up from the iouhdaIiohS
OF the earth"
We have It now and Defoe's game IS 10
bean IN the wonder while his readers are
vot sneechless 9TH Terror was mex
pressible. and cannot be represented by
Words" The island was raised so fu-
riously that the earth was entirely sepa-
rated into small particles Of Dust and
fell light and gradually, like a small but
thick mist" But whereas the more solid
part Of the island supposed TO be or
Stone. Slate or Clay" would not dissipate
in the air these parts fell In solid masses
into the sea, where (our author sagey
reflects they must have made sounds IKE
cannon. Having appeared TO reason prl-
vately that there must have been SOUNDS
like cannon. the arch-humbug bethinks
himself that these were the Reports or
Blows which were he ard even 20 81. Chris
tophers Island (Which Is vast distance
from St. VincenD and Of which the people
In these Islands. as well as In the ships
heard about a thousand or twelve hundred
distinct blows or reports, and supposed II
TO be the Noise Of Guns"
Iaegft dfvfnfuO yaadprc' next de-
mand. Defoe tells how. when the intelli-
gence got abroad, sloops barques, and all
kinds OF vessels, sailed TO the spot 10 in
quire and give aid; and we are shown
these marines cruising about, rubbing
their eyes in bewilderment blaming
their steersmen, and taking obser-
vations, and finally realizing that
the island is no more, and had
left no yestige on the face OF the waters
expect Defoe loves TO recommend a stag
gering fiction by small concession-"three
little rocks" while the sea that swept over
it was excessive deep and no bottom TO
be found. at two hundred fathom."
Defoe now proceeds to look for probable
causes Of the disaster and with admit
rable candOr and caution affects to see
two possible explanations: % an earth
quake, or % subterranean fires on which
a vast body Of water was let loose. But
first he lofuly pooh-poohs those who "by
casting up the dimensions Of the island,
TO reduce It 10 cublcal inches, are pre-
tending 10 tell us what weight Of earth
this blast has raised up, and consequently
would tell us what force It was that must
raise It; but this IS a perfectly needless
enquiry, and many ways impracticable
also"
An earthquake he rejects as too weak
"A ny. nd b.r d
frankness in stating the problem becomes
positively daZzling-"for an island 10 be
blown up into the air. as If IL were
undermined and blown up by gun-pOwder.
like a Baston IN a town besieged: and
for the force TO be such, az 10 blow I'D
the solid earth into the third region as
we may say,-to such a stupendous pro-
digious height, as to have it go up an
island. and come down in sand go up
in bulk and come down In atoms; TO go
up Perpendicular and be spread about to
one hundred miles distance: this is unac-
countable, but by some force superior TO
that Of ten millions OF barrels Of gun
powder"
Defoe therefore favors the idea that an
thrush Of the sea on subterranean fires
had caused steam 10 generate on such
a scale that a stupendous explosion fol-
lowed This theory he ingenlously sup
ports by references TO hot springs, and
by volcanoes. of which he gives a cloud
OF names. He even observes that a vast
body OF the sea invading a great body
OF fire would mot fail 10 blow up, not
such an island as st. Vincent only. but
an island 40 times as big. in proportion
to the extent Of the fire below" All this
is brought forward so gradually, 50 plaus-
bly, with such nice deductions and asdes,
not emitting an ascription of the power
10 the CreatOr-whO might as easily
blow this whole earth up"-that one might
suppose that the work of'deception was
done. But Defoe knows better. He knows
that the spell Of his narrative IS likely TO
be broken when the reader returns 10
actual life, 10 the sober incidents Of pres
ent time and place. And so he seeks TO
bring home the destruction of ST. Vincent
by associating II with these very actual
ties. The bursting OF the island Of So.
Vincent through a conversion OF the sea
into steam may be familiarised. he says
by the throwing a pail of water hastily
into furnace-suppose such as a brew
er's furnace-which will Immediately
burst ont again. with a violence propor-
toned 10 the quantity OF water" This
is delicious, but It is not ALL The fictive
and remote catastrophe shall be allied
70 a casirophe real and authentic Let
the last doubling Thomas recall a very
sad accident which happened several
years ago In London. and which most
Deople have heard of--viz.. at the foundry
at Windmill Hin. by Moorfeids, where |
the metal for casting Of a great gun. run
ming into a mould III prepared. and which
had received some water tho by the re- |
lation OF all concerned in II. and that were |
alive. that water. by the cavity Of the |
mould. could not be equal to a gallon: |
vet IL blew III the whole work. and blew |
the melted metal up. as Hight II II had |
been the 'ichtest earth. throwing II about |
the whole place. separated I'm small parts |
Ike drops so that II overwhelmed. as \
with shower OF molten brass. those that |
were near, and almost all who were in |
the place were killed or terribly hurt by |
IL.
Three weeks after this amazing con-
coctiOn had apnearel when its hypnotic /
force had weakened. and murmurs of dis
sent We're growing. Defoe inserted in |
Mists Journal the following paragraph;
"Thev pretend 10 tell us n strange
story. viz that the Island ~ ST. Vincent |
Is found again. and f. turn'd into a vol
cano or burning mountain. but we must |
acknowledge We do not believe one word
OF It,"
And so. leaving hts accusers 70 gasp.
Defoe returned 10 LEGITIMATE fiction. He
tras then writing "Robinson Crusoe."
-------~-----
Dream and Awakening.
clara-congratulate me. dear. Since We
list met have been happily married.