Year: 1879

away into the real bread aud batter
occupations Of our modern hum
drum life.


Late one rainy morning our party
left the hotel in carriages for the
ascent Of vssuvious by way Of Resi-
ma. A ride of considerable m ,re
than an hour, all the way along a
built up street, brings US to Resina.
where we engage guide aud mules


The carriage way winds up the side
OF the mountain, through vineyards
and highly cultivated fields until it
comes to the overflow OF 1872, over


which for nearly an hour the road
winds until the Hermitage is reashed
which is the limit Of carriage travel.


This lava stream is black aud lies in
great waves and ridges. such 10
would be formed by semi -auid


mass rolling down the mountain,
stiffoning as it cooled 1t is the
ideal OF desolation itself, not green
thing being able 70 live upon it.


From the Hermitage one can go
by foot or by male over a rough
path to the base OF tho cone which
reached in about an hour. This ris-
es 1900 feet, and the ascent can
only bo made on foot. As the cone
rises at an angle OF about 35 degrees
aud consists Of Stag and loose ashes
which slip back under the feet at
every stop, the climb is most fatigu-
ing. The traveller is beset with men
who offer their services aud ,ciii
help unless they are resolutely aud
energetically repulsed Some 20
just ahead and extend a strap to the
traveller by which he can be partly
pulled up, while others get behind
aud boost and by these combined
means even the weakest finally reach
tho top,


From the edge of the crater is a
magnificent panorama. Before us
We 500 the country for miles around,
the bay, the city and far ont at sea :,
while turning around we look down
into the smoking pit, some two hun-
Ired feet below u.s. Clambering
down the hot, steaming sides We are
at last at the very mouth OF the era.
ter. and to all appearances at tho on
trauce to the internal regions. The
night before our ascent, tho first
display Of tue present season of ac-
tivity had taken place and the SKI
WAS lighted up with a.nis from the
burning mountain 10 fmnl that
there had been small overh Nv dur
iny the night, aud that s,ue two
acres of the bottom II the iu Ter cra-
tor had been covers! with lava.
which by the time wa reached it hal
u cool crust an inch or more thick on
winch We could walk with care.
Through the cracks in it We could
see the rcd hot mass not twJ inches
under our feet. The guides cooked
eggs in these cracks, and presse
coias in the nelte lava attached 10
them. We could hear tho melted
mass in the interior of tho mouutlin
sarge from side 10 side rs it bo:lel,
aud as often as once minute melt
ed lava would be thrown into the air
torough the little cone 10 the inner
crater, aud fall near us. Tho mir
was full Of sulphur fumes. which
were at times 30 oppressive that We
could hardly breath. Great masses
Of pure sulphur were scattered all
around Us.


At the end OF half an hour we
were glad to Chamber up the side OF
the crater, out OF the flaws Of heIl,'
aud with another long look at the
grand view before us we scrambled
down the steep side OF the cone aud
returned to the city. After this we
shall have all faith in tho power of
Vesuvius, and when we read that
during an eruption ii threw a stone
weighing 25 tons o distance Of Is
miles, we shall shut our ewes and
swallow the statement without q
word Of dissent.


Aiter another visit to the Muse
um, aud to some parts of the city
not mentioned in this letter, we,
with regret, take the train for Rome.
We shall naver forget how as we
rode for miles along the ruined
arches of the aqueduct, while we
were entering Rome, tho full moon
just rising flashed through the arch
es which seemed to fly past US.
With this vison Of moonlight on the
Campagnia, amid the ruins of the
greatest nation and city tho world
has ever seen we retire for the night