H ° R E M A R K S o n t h e
c h a n g e s this ifle, and we faw it every now and then blazing up with great
OF T H E
G L O B E . violence. In the morning we were a few miles diftant from the.
ifle, and faw plainly a volcano on its South-Eaft fide, at the end of
a low range o f hills, not elevated more than 1 2 0 or 1 5 0 yards above
the furface o f the' lea j beyond which there appeared- another ridge,
at leaft as high again. It feemed not above four miles diftant from
the fea, and looked like a truncated cone, quite barren-, o f a reddifh
grey, and had the appearance of being formed by alhes, pumice-
ftones, and lava. Every four or five minutes we perceived a ftrait
column o f ftnoke, o f a reddifti grey caft, riling with great velocity
and violence 5 and foon after we heard a rumbling noife in the volcano
like that o f thunder. After the fmoke, or rather mafs o f ignited
alhes, had rilen to a conliderable height, the refiftance o f the
air, and its own gravitation, brought it down: it varied from the
columnar fhape, and branched out into feparate mafles, affuming a
furface and out-line, not unlike a large cauliflower Sometimes
thefe alhes appeared white, fometimes they had a dirty grey, and
fometimes a very red caft, which happened, as I fuppofe, when the
hot
* Nubes (incertum procul intuentibus ex quo monte : Vefuvium fulfle poftea cognitum
eft) oriebatur, cujus fimilitudinem & formam non alia magis arbor qinam pinus expreflerit.
Nam longiffimo velut trunco elata in altum, quibufdam.ramis dlffundebatur. Credo quia
recenti fpiritu evefta, deinde fenefcente eo deftituta, aut etiam pondere fuo vidta, in latitu-
dinem vanefcebat; Candida interdum, interdum fordida, prout terrain cincrcmve fuftulerat.
P u n . Epift.'lib, yi. Ep. xv.
C H A N G E S o f o u r G L O B E . 141.
h o t i g n i t e d a l l i e s w e r e t h r o w n u p , o r w h e n t h e fm o a k a n d a l h e s c h a n g e s
o f T H E
w e r e i l l u m i n a t e d b y t h e f i r e a t t h e b o t t o m o f t h e c r a t e r . g l o b e .
After we came into the harbour, the volcano feemed to-be about
6 or 8 mijes diftant, its explofions- continued for, feveral days, and
lafted fometimes, together with the rumbling noife, for about half a
minute: the whole dedt was covered with alhes and minute cinders,
which was very hurtful to the eyes. One morning, after rain, the
volcano, which had ceafed its loud explofions, did again now and
then blaze up. I obferved- this before 4; o!cloek in the morning.
T h e clouds-of fmoak. which- were emitted, had all the various hues
from yellow, orange, red, and dark purple, dying away into a
reddifti grey, or into a darker hue. When night had. fpread its veil
over all the objedts furrounding us, the ftars were obferved to
fhine. through fome lucid fpots. As often as frefh- clouds of fmoak
appeared, they were illuminated from the bottom o f the crater.
Each neighbouring object, when expofed to this light, was on its
edges, tinged yellow, orange, red, or purple. Some days after,
.-the volcano was quiet, and no more noife was heard, and but few
clouds, o f fmoak appeared, which however, during, night were
illuminated.
Seven days after our firft arrival, I made an attempt to go to the
volcano, in hopes o f examining this great objedt fomewhat nearer 5
and went therefore on a path up the hill towards it. It had rained
the