6
from its extraordinary and terrific appear-
ance. During the whole of July, the moun-
tain was in a state of considerable fermenta-
tion, subterraneous explosion and rumbling
noises being heard, and quantities of smoke
thrown up with great violence, sometimes
with red-hot stones, scoriræ, and ashes. On
the 5th of August, the volcano was greatly
agitated, a white sulphurceus smoke, appa-
rently four times the height and size of the
volcano itself, issuing from the crater, at the
same time that vast quantities of stones, &c.
were thrown up to the supposed height of
2000 feet The liquid laya, having cleared
the rim of the crater, flowed down the sides
of the mountain to the distance of four miles.
The air was darkened by showers of reddish
ashes, blended with long filaments of a vitri-
fied matter resembling glass.
On the 7th, at midnight, a fountain of
fire shot up from the crater to an incredible
height, casting so bright a light that the
smallest objects were clearly distinguishable
at any place within six miles of the volcano.
On the following evening, after a tremendous
explosion, which broke the windows of the
houses at Portici, another fountain of liquid
fire rose to the surprising height of 10,000
feet, (nearly two miles) while puffs of the
blackest smoke accompanied the red-lot lava,
interrupting its splendid brightness here and
