without any apparent change having taken place in its situation. The side from which the showers of ignited matter fall into the sea, is almost perpendicular, about half a mile broad at the bottom, and a mile in length, terminating above in a point. In rolling down, the lava raises the fine sand like a cloud of dast. While this was observed by Spallanzani, the volcano suddenly made an eruption. Numerous pieces of lava, of a dark red colour, and enveloped in smoke, were ejected from the top of the precipice, and thrown high into the air. A part of them fell on the declivity, and rolled down, the smaller preceded by the greater; and, after a few bounds, dashed into the sea, giving out a sharp hissing sound. The more minute fragments, from their lightness and the hindrance of the sand, rolled slowly down and striking against each other, produced nearly the same sound as hail stones falling on a roof. In a few minutes another explosion followed, without any sensible noise; and two minutes after, a third eruption took place, with a much louder explosion than the first, and a far more copious ejection of lava. The eruptions, which were almost innumerable during the time Spallanzani remained there, all exhibited the same appearances.

On the night following the one above described, the volcano raged with still greater violence, and rapidly hurled to a great height thousands of red-hot stones, forming diverging rays in the air. Those which rolled down the precipice produced a hail of streaming fire, which illuminated the steep descent. Independently of these ignited stones, there was in the air which hovered over the volcano, à vivid light which was not extinguished when that was at rest. It was not properly flame, but real light reverberated by the atmosphere, impregnated by extraneous particles, and more especially by the ascending smoke. Besides

varying in intensity, it appeared constantly in motion, ascending, descending, dilating, and contracting, but always remaining perpendicular over the mouth of the volcano, which showed that it was occasioned by the conflagration within the crater. The detonations in the greater eruptions resembled the roaring of distant thunder; but, in the more moderate ones, the explosions of a mine. In the smallest they were scarcely audible. Each was some secends later than the ejection.

Near the mouth of the volcano is a small cavern, a projection above which secures it from the entrance of the ignited stones. From this cavern Spallanzani was enabled to look down into the very bowels of the volcano. He describes the edges of the crater as of a circular form, and not more than 340 feet in circumference, the internal sides contracting as they descend, and assuming the shape of a truncated inverted cone. The crater itself, to a certain height, is filled with a liquid red-hot matter, resembling melted brass. This is the fluid lava, which appears to be agitated by two distinct motions, the one intestine, whirling and tumultuous, and the other that by which it is impelled upward. This liquid matter is raised, sometimes with more, and sometimes with less rapidity, within the crater ; and when it has reached within twenty-five or thirty feet of the upper edge, a sound is heard not unlike a short clap of thunder, while at the same moment a portion of the lava, separated into a thousand pieces, is thrown up with indescribable swiftness, accompanied by a copious eruption of smoke, ashes, and sand. A few moments before the report, the superficies of the lava is inflated and covered with large bubbles, some of which are several feet in diameter; on the bursting of these the detonation and fiery shower take place. After the explosion, the lava within the crater sinks, but soon rises again as before, and new bubbles appear, which again burst and produce new explosions. When the lava sinks, it gives little or no sound; but when it rises, and particularly when it begins to be inflated with bubbles, it is accompanied by a noise similar, in proportion to the difference of magnitude, to that of liquor boiling vehemently in a cauldron.

LIPARI.

THIS island, which has given name to the whole cluster, is deserving of notice on account of its celebrated stoves. They are the only vestiges of subterraneous conflagration now remaining, and lie to the west of the city, on the summit of a mountain of considerable elevation, called MONTE DELLA STUFE, the MOUNTAIN OF STOVES. They consist of five excavations, in the form of grottoes; but two of them have been abandoned on account of the great

heat, an exposure to which might cause suffocation. Even the stones are so hot that they cannot be touched; but still the heat varies, and experiences all the vicissitudes of volcanoes. The ground is not penetrated with hot vapours issuing from several apertures, as has been asserted: Spallanzani, however, found one from which a thin stream of smoke issued from time to time, with a strong sulphureous smell indicating the remains of conflagration existing beneath.

It is impossible to fix the exact epoch at which the fires of Lipari were extinguished, or rather the period at which the eruption ceased, for the existence of the former may be deduced from the hot springs and stoves. Dolomieu thinks the last eruptions are as old as the sixth century of the Christian era, and conjectures that they may have ceased since the fires found a new vent in Vulcano, since he does not entertain any doubt but that the two islands have a subterraneous communication. Of this the inhabitants of Lipari are so well convinced, that they are in the greatest agitation when Vulcano does not smoke, and when its passages are obstructed. They fear shocks and violent eruptions, suspecting even that the fires may again break out in their own island. It is certainly a fact that the earthquakes, which are very frequent, generally cease when the eruptions of Vulcano commence.

VULCANO.

THIS, which is the last of the Lipari isles, bears in every part the stamp of fire. It was the superstitious belief of the ancient inhabitants that Vulcan had here established his forges, there being constant fires during the night, and a thick smoke throughout the day. It consists of a mountain in the form of a truncated cone, which is, however, merely a case opening and exposing to view a second cone within, more exact than the other, and in which the mouth of the volcano is placed. The latter is thus enveloped on three sides by the ancient cone, and is open only on that side which is immediately washed by the sea.

The base of the interior cone is separated from the steep sides of the ancient crater by a circular valley, which terminates on one side at the junction of the two mountains,

and on the other sinks into the sea. In this valley light pumice-stones are blended with fragments of black vit reous lava, and buried in ashes perfectly white. The blow of a hammer on these stones produces a loud hollow sound, which re-echoes in the neighbouring caverns, and proves that the surface is nothing more than the arch of a vault covering an immense abyss. The sound varies according to the thickness of the crust, which must have considerable solidity to support the weight of the new mountain. This, according to Dolomieu, is higher and steeper than the cone which contains the crater of Etna, and its access still more difficult; its perpendicular height, however, is not more than 2640 feet, half a mile. He represents the crater of Vulcano as the most magnificent he ever saw; and Spallanzani observes that, with the exception of that of Etna, he does not know of any more capacious and majestic. It exceeds a mile in circuit, has an oval mouth, and its greatest diameter is from the S. E. to the W., while its depth is not more than a quarter of a mile. The bottom is flat, and from many places streams of smoke exhale, emitting a strong sulphureous vapour. This vast cavity is very regular, and as its entire contents are displayed to the eye presents one of the grandest and most imposing spectacles in nature. On large stones being rolled down, the mountain re-echoes; and on their reaching the bottom, they appear to sink in fluid. Indeed with the aid of a glass, two small lakes, supposed to be filled with melted sulphur, have been discovered. The declivity of the interior walls is so great, that, even when there is not any danger from fire, the descent is next to impossible. After considerable difficulty, however, this was accomplished by Spallanzani on the S. E. side, the only one accessible. He found the bottom to be somewhat more than one third of a mile in circumference, and of an oval form. The subterraneous noise was here much louder than on the summit, sounding like an impetuous river foaming beneath, or, rather, like a conflict of agitated waves meeting and clashing furiously together.The ground was likewise in some places perforated with apertures, from which hissing sounds issued, resembling those produced by the bellows of a furnace. It shook when pressed by the feet; and a large piece of lava, let fall five or six feet, produced a subterraneous echoing

sound, which continued some time, and was loudest in the centre. These circumstances, combined with its burning heat, and the strong stench of sulphur it emits, prove that the fires of the volcano are still active.

Its eruptions have been most considerable during the earthquakes which have desolated Sicily and a greater part of Italy. In the month of March, 1786, after subterraneous thunders and roarings, which were heard over all the Islands, to the great terror of the inhabitants, and were accompanied by frequent concussions, the crater threw out a prodigous quantity of sand, mixed with immense volumes of smoke and fire. This eruption continued fifteen days, and so great was the quantity of sand ejected that the circumjacent places were entirely covered with it to a considerable height. The lava did not flow at the time, at least over the edges of the crater; and indeed, such a current has not happened during the memory of any living person.

THE HIMALAYA MOUNTAINS.

BETWEEN INDIA AND THibet.

THE great Himalayan snowy range, says Mr. Fraser, is only the high elevated crest of the mountainous tract that divides the plain of Hindostan from those of Thibet, or Lesser Tartary. Far as they predominate over, and precipitously as they rear themselves above the rest, all the bills that appear in distant ranges, when viewed from the plains, are indeed only the roots and branches of this great stem; and, however difficult to trace, the connexion can always be detected between each inferior mountain and some particular member of its great origin.

The horizontal depth of this mountainous tract, on that side which overlooks Hindostan, is no doubt various; but, from the difficulty of the country, a traveller performs a journey of many days before he reaches the foot of the immediate snowy cliffs. The best observations and survey do not authorise the allowance of more than an av erage depth of about sixty miles from the plains to the commencement of these, in that part of the country that forms the subject of this narrative. The breadth of the snowy zone itself in all probability varies still more; for