ed. Etna. minated the ship, from the general figure of its top, which has some slight resemblance to a ship. Its diameter is 25 feet, so that the circumference cannot be less than 75. In these extensive forests, however, there are chesnut trees of every age and size. Forest of Snow grotOur author's next visit was paid to a snow grotto, to describ- being one of those magazines, where that article, so necessary in the hot climate of Sicily, is preserved for use. In his way thither he visited the forest of pines; pines in the which is so much surrounded by rocks and precipices, way to it. that it is scarcely accessible; and vast numbers of the trees are dying of old age. Some of the neighbouring peasants, however, now and then attempt to carry them off. Our author saw one of them at this work. It was drawn by oxen, who were yoked to it by a chain connected with the beam by an iron cramp. But the extreme roughness of the road made the tree leap and bound in such a manner, that the poor creatures were every moment in danger of having their legs broken, or being hurried over precipices along with their driver; accidents which happen not unfrequently, and which render this occupation less generally practised than otherwise it would be. The snow grotto is but lately formed, by the action of the waters under the beds of lava carrying away the stratum of pozzolana below them. It is situated on a mount named Finocchio, which, though of very considerable size, is only a protuberance on the side of Etna. It has been repaired in the inside at the expence of the knights of Malta, who have hired this, as well as several other caverns in the mountain, for the purpose of holding snow, which they have still more occasion for in their island than the inhabitants of Sicily. There are two openings above, at which they throw in the snow; and flights of steps have been cut to these as well as in the internal parts. A considerable extent of ground is levelled and enclosed with high walls above the grotto; so that when the wind, which at this elevation blows with great violence, carries the snow down from the higher parts of the mountain, it is stopped and detained by the walls of this enclosure. It is then thrown into the grotto, where the thickness of the beds of lava which cover it prevents any impression How the from the summer heat. When the season for exportasnow is pre-tion comes on, the snow is put into large bags, and vented from pressed into them as close as possible. Thus it is renmelting dered compact and heavy, and likewise runs less risk of during exportation. being affected by the heat. It is then carried out upon men's shoulders, and conveyed to the shore on mules. Before it is put into the bags, the lumps of snow are carefully wrapped up in leaves, which is another preservative; at the same time that the fresh congelation of the little which melts, unites the masses so together, that our author informs us he has seen pieces of the snow preserved in this manner which looked like the fairest and most transparent crystal. Account of Mount Rosso, Our author's next excursion was to Mount Rosso, or the Red Mountain, which is one of the mouths of Ena, and through which it discharges from time to time great quantities of lava, sand, ashes, &c. It is the most celebrated of all the numerous mouths which have opened on the side of the mountain, though it has become so noted only for having poured forth the matter of the great eruption in 1669, and which is the most remarkable of any recorded in history. VOL. I. Part Ì. ters how formed. "When a new crater (says our author) is formed Eina. on Mount Etna, it is always in consequence of some shock that is powerful enough to break the arches of New era. its caverns. Doubtless it is inconceivable that there should be any agent endowed with such force; but when such a fracture is once made, it is necessarily very large, and the surface of the ground above cannot but be broken in several different places at considerable distances from one another. The matter which is discharged always issues from the principal opening and those adjoining to it. None of these mouths, however, continue open, excepting that which is directly in the line in which the matter is discharged; the lava soon choking up those which are in a more oblique di rection." Our author went down one of these openings with torches; but could not reach the bottom, and was obliged to return on account of the extreme cold. The descent was extremely difficult, and became more so in proportion as he advanced. This crater is of an oval form, and the opening through which he descended was in one extremity but he was tempted to think that the crater which rises above it had been formed of matter discharged by another mouth or perhaps it might have had a more centrical opening, through which the stones, sand, &c. which form the crater were discharged. Four of the mouths of this mount appear to be composed of a reddish pozzolana, which has procured it the name of the Red Mountain; but when we ascend the pyramids, or rather funnels which they form, we find them composed of different-coloured layers of sand. Some of these are of a bluish-gray colour, others of a fine yellow, and some of a kind of green formed by a mixture of gray and yellow, while others are of red colour. A great number of small crystals, black schoerls, and granites are found among them, as well as pieces of scoria, which had been discharged by the volcano in the form of a thick and glutinous matter. All these mouths have internally the form of a funnel, and their shape is nearly that of a mutilated cone or round pyramid. This is the natural and unavoidable consequence of the perpendicular fall of the pulverized matter which the volcano discharges from the orifice at the bottom. The sides of the craters are not all of one height; the parts to the east and west being considerably higher than the intermediate summits, because the currents of the ashes passed alternately from east to west, and fell upon these sides in greater quantities than on the others; which circumstance has given to the volcano the agpearance of having two summits. described. M. Houel, having finished his observations on Monte Convent of Rosso, returned to the convent of Nicolosi, which is Nicolosi now only a house for the entertainment of travellers. The Benedictines of Catania, to whom it belongs, visit this place only when in an ill state of health, as the purity of the air renders it very salutary to the human constitution. A solitary brother, however, resides here to take care of the house, and to superintend the cultivation of the neighbouring plains. Those fathers once possessed an extensive and very fertile tract of land in this neighbourhood; but the eruptions of Ætna have rendered it totally incapable of cultivation. This house stands at a very considerable height, being no less than 2496 feet above the level of the sea. Hh Set ting the Goats tna. ting out from this place three hours before day, our traveller directed his course towards the Grotto of the Girotto of Goats. In his way thither, he passed over several described. plains of lava, some of them ancient and others more modern but the roads were extremely rough and dangerous; or rather, as our author expresses himself, there was no track or path meriting the name of a road. In two hours they reached the Regione Sylvosa, where an immense forest surrounds the mountain, and which has undoubtedly been planted by the hand of nature for there the ground is so high, so full of precipices, and so entirely uninhabitable, that no human being could ever think of making plantations on it; nor is it to be supposed that the winds could take up seeds from the plains to sow them on such a lofty rests of Etna, situation. Beautiful These majestic forests of Ætna afford a singular specappearance tacle, and bear no resemblance to those of other counof the fo- tries. Their verdure is more lively, and the trees of which they consist are of a greater height. These advantages they owe to the soil whereon they grow; for the soil produced by volcanoes is particularly favourable to vegetation, and every species of plants grows here with great luxuriance. In several places, where we can view their interior parts, the most enchanting prospects are displayed. The hawthorn trees are of an immense size. Our author saw several of them of a regular form, and which he was almost tempted to take for large orange trees cut artificially into the figures they represented. The beeches appear like as many ramified pillars, and the tufted branches of the oak like close bushes impenetrable to the rays of the sun. The appearance of the woods in general is exceedingly picturesque, both by reason of the great number and variety of the trees, and the inequality of the ground, which makes them rise like the seats in an amphitheatre, one row above another; disposing them also in groups and glades, so that their appearance changes to the eye at every step; and this variety is augmented by accidental circumstances, as the situation of young trees, among others venerable for their antiquity; the effects of storms, which have often overturned large trees, while stems shooting up from their roots, like the Lernæan hydra, show a number of heads newly sprung to make up that which was cut off. About three hours after the departure of our travellers from St Nicholas, they reached the Grotto of the Goats. It is formed by a bed of lava, which having flowed over a pile of sand and pozzolana while in a fluid state, settled and cooled in that situation; and the sand or pozzolana being afterwards carried off by the filtration of water through the lava, a void space has been left, which the torrents have gradually enlarged to its present size. This grotto stands about 5054 feet above the level of the sea, according to the calculations of M. de Saussure. It affords a retreat for those travellers who visit the summit of Etna, who generally refresh themselves by taking a repast and making a fire at the entry, for which there is plenty of dry wood at hand while the sand serves for a bed to repose on. Here our author and his company supped, and about midnight set off for the summit. They had the advantage of the moon-light; and our author advises all those who intend to visit the top of Ætna, to take such a time for ; Atua parts of their journey as may enable them to enjoy this advantage. As they advanced beyond the Grotto of the Goats, the trees became gradually thinner. In a short Account of the highest time they were so thin, that they might readily be counted; and, proceeding still farther, only a very few Eina. were seen scattered here and there, whose beauty and size were diminished seemingly in proportion to their numbers. A few clumps of trees and some tufts of odoriferous herbs were now only to be seen; and in a little time these also became thinner, assuming a withered or stunted appearance. There they are nothing but the languishing remains of an abortive vegetation; and a few paces further even this disappeared, and the eye was presented only with barren sand. scribed. Having now got above the region of the trees, they Snowy and entered the third, which our author denominates the re. barren region of snow and sterility. The wind became more gion de brisk and keen as they advanced, so that they could' scarce keep their hats upon their heads; and our author lost his, though tied on with a handkerchief. Here they were frequently obliged to cross considerable streams of water formed by the melting of the In general the surface was sufficiently hard to bear them; but our author's mule once sunk up to her belly, and was not extricated without great difficulty. snow. violent Having at last overcome all difficulties, they arrived Plain on at the large plain on the summit of Ætna, and in the the summit midst of which is the crater of the volcano. It is en- of Etna. tirely composed of lava, cinders, ice, and snow; and has been styled, ironically as our author thinks, Monte Frumente. Here the wind continued to blow with Wind exexcessive violence; and our author informs us, that in cessively order to have any notion of its keenness, we must be here. accustomed to feel it on some very elevated station, as it is impossible to judge from what we feel at inferior altitudes. They took shelter behind a lump of lava, the only one which appeared in the whole plain, and, which our author says, would seem designed expressly for the shelter of travellers. Here they lay, wrapped up in their cloaks, for an hour: but as soon as it was day, so that they could distinguish the place where the sun was to rise, they got up and advanced towards the ruins of the building known by the name of the Philosopher's Tower. The wind still blew so violently, that after an effort of four minutes they fell down exhausted: but the extreme cold obliging them again to get up, they made a second attempt; and after several intermissions of this kind, at last accomplished their design. They were surprised, however, to find nothing. but the corner of a wall not more than two feet high, consisting of two rows of unpolished stones; great part of it having been probably buried by the sand and other matters discharged by the mountain. Here, being sheltered from the wind, and the day advancing, they began to enjoy the glorious prospect which every moment became more extensive. At the rising of the sun, the horizon was serene, without a single cloud. "The coast of Calabria (says our author) was as yet Extensive undistinguishable from the adjoining sea; but in a short prospect.. time a fiery radiance began to appear from behind the Italian hills, which bounded the eastern part of the prospect. The fleecy clouds, which generally appear early in the morning, were tinged with purple; the atmosphere became strongly illuminated, and, reflecting the rays of the rising sun, appeared filled with a bright effulgence of Etna. Philoso pher's Tower descri bed. na. of flame. The immense elevation of the summit of t- Having enjoyed for some time the beauty of this magnificent prospect, our author set about making a draught of the place from which the view was taken; and at length accomplished it, notwithstanding the great impediments he met with from the wind. Among the objects which he delineated on this occasion, the Philosopher's Tower was one. It seems, he says, not to be very ancient; neither the materials of which it consists, nor the mode of architecture, bearing any resemblance to those of the Greeks and Romans. The surrounding plain seems to consist entirely of a black sand intermixed with pieces of scoria, which have been formerly thrown out by the volcano. Beyond that plain, which rises gently, appears a cone, the summit of which is the volcanic crater. When viewed from Description the south side, on which they stood, this crater seems of the great to consist of a number of small hills. Into these it was broken by the emission of the boiling torrent in the year 1755. When discharged from the crater, these waters spread towards the right, and at the distance of a mile eastward fell in a cascade from a prodigious height. orater. The violence of the wind beginning now to abate a This Ætna. little, the travellers set out for the very summit, in order to take a view of the great crater; in which journey (our author says) it would be difficult to make people, who have never engaged in such enterprises, comprehend all the obstacles they had to encounter. cone (the little mountain mentioned by Sir William Hamilton) is composed of ashes, sand, and pozzolana, thrown up at different times by the volcano. The materials are so loose, that the adventurous traveller sinks about mid-leg at every step, and is in constant terror of being swallowed up. At last, when the summit is reached, the sulphureous exhalations, which are continually emitted from the pores of the mountain, threaten suffocation, and irritate the fauces and lungs in such a manner as to produce a very troublesome and incessant cough. The looseness of the soil, which gives way under the feet, obliges the traveller, every now and then, to throw himself flat on his belly, that so he may be in less danger of sinking. In this posture our author viewed the wide unfathomable gulf in the middle of the crater; but could discover nothing except a cloud of smoke, which issued from a number of small apertures scattered all around, and accompanied with a kind of noise. Another and more dreadful Horrid sound, however, issues from the bowels of the volcano, noises issue and which, according to our author, "strikes the heart burning with terror, so that all the strength of reason is neces- gulf. sary to prevent the observer from flying with precipitation from such a dreadful place." Several travellers who had visited this cone before him, were so terrified by these dreadful sounds, that they fled with the the utmost haste till they arrived at the foot of the mountain. Our author compares these sounds to a discharge of cannon in the wide abyss; the noise of which is rebellowed throughout all the caverns, and produces a sound perhaps the most alarming that can be imagined; and during the short space in which he listened, several of these discharges were heard to follow one another almost uninterruptedly. : This dreadful noise, our author, with very great probability, supposes to be occasioned by the explosions of the internal fire, or, as he calls it, the focus of the volcano which, striking against the sides of these immense caverns, the sounds produced are re-echoed through their cavities, and probably multiplied in an extraordinary manner; so that what would be only a slight explosion in the open air, occasions a sound more tremendous than the loudest thunder. To such as are convinced of this, and have sufficient courage to resist the first impressions which these sounds must unavoidably occasion, they will in a short time not only appear exceedingly sublime, but by their variety, even somewhat agreeable. "They enable us (says our author) to form some conception of the space through which they must pass before they reach the ear, and of the vast extent and width of the hollows of the mountain." from the Etna. manner as to run down the sides of the cone; so that, after several attempts, he was at last obliged to abandon his design. Figure of Fig. 2. exhibits a view of the crater of Ætna taken the crater. on the brink of the east side. The fore ground (aa) of the figure is one division of the crater. Beyond it are two eminences b and c, higher than that on which some human figures are represented. All the three form a triangle nearly equilateral; but, when viewed from any considerable distance, only two of them can be seen; for which reason the Sicilians have termed the mountain bicorne, or double-horned. The smoke, as represented in the figure, issues from all quarters, either from chinks or holes scattered over the whole crater. But the situation of the principal mouth is in the midst of the three eminences. Its diameter, when our author visited this mountain, was only about 60 feet, and so filled with smoke, that nothing remarkable could be discovered. From the height d, the rock situated on the left side of the print, and on which the human figures are represented, all the way to the rock e on the right, the distance is no more than 900 feet. Our author observed, that the cone is not exactly in the middle of the plain, but is situated more towards the north than the south. He did not attempt to cross the central valley f, on account of the looseness of the ground, and that there was no object apparently worthy of the risk he must run in so doing. At the nearest view he took, it was only observed that there was snow lying in several parts of it, though the heat which otherwise prevailed seemed to be very intense. The smoke which issues from the crater of Ætna is generally carried in a direction from south to north; and, as it brings along with it a considerable quantity of water, the latter, condensed by the cold winds, runs down the side of the mountain in plentiful streams, and often leaves pretty permanent marks of its course. Eruption of In this manner he accounts for the great eruption of water in 1755, which he supposes to have been occasioned only by an unusual quantity of water falling into the burning focus of the mountain, there rarefied into steam, and afterwards condensed by the coldness of the atmosphere. water in 1793 accounted for. South wind Like other travellers to Mount Etna, this gentleman generally found the wind blowing from the south, and he is of prevalent opinion, that a south wind blows here more frequently on the top than other, as he did not observe any channels cut any of Etna. by the water on any other side than the north. He had several opportunities of making this observation, having frequently visited the top of Ætna, and always paid attention to the crater. The sand on the east and west sides was always loose, while that on the north was compacted into a solid body. The three summits were of a later date than the rest of the crater, having been probably thrown up by some eruption which had burst it asunder. The black spots on the fore ground represent a number of hillocks about the size of mole-hills, from which a sulphureous vapour constantly issues, and by which the adjacent ground is tinged of an ochrey colour. This vapour issues from the crevices with a kind of hollow whistling noise; which, with the volcanic thunder, smoke, and noxious smell, render it very disagreeable to stay here even for a few moments. The smoke is represented in the figure precisely as it appeared on the day that he ascended, which was very Eina. warm. But it does not always rise in this manner; for when the cold is very intense, it collects into a body, and thickens around the edge of the crater: on which occasion it is condensed into water, which diffuses itself around the edge of the crater, and mixing with the ashes converts them into a kind of clay. The cold Intense on the top of this mountain is so intense, that travel-cold produced by lers very often find their clothes insufficient to protect a south them; and it is remarkable that such intense cold is al- wind. ways produced by a south wind. The day that our author took his draught, the wind blew faintly from the north. at the foot The base of Mount Etna, according to M. Houel's Account of observations, consists of alternate layers of lava and ma- the strata rine substances, which have been deposited successively of Mount one upon another. These alternate layers extend to Etna. an unknown depth. They must needs go as far down as the level of the stratum of lava which was discharged by the volcano at its first origin. The last deposited by the sea is a range of calcareous mountains of a considerable height, and which are placed on a basis of lava. Beneath that layer of lava is another of sea pebbles, which are well known to be rounded by their attrition against one another by the motion of the waves. This layer is of a considerable depth, and lies upon a yellowish rock consisting of a species of indurated sand. The river Simeto flows over this rock, which it has cut away considerably. That part which is at present the bed of the river is much higher than the base of Ætna that is on a level with the sea; and not the least thing occurs to suggest an idea of what has been the primary base of the volcano. The marine substances, already taken notice of, lie nearly in a horizontal direction, more or less so according to the nature of the surface on which they have been deposited. Etna. Etna abounds very much with springs, fountains, Great numand even rivers of considerable magnitude. Our au- ber of thor has computed, that if all the water flowing down springs on the sides of this mountain were collected, it would fill Mount the channel of a river 36 feet broad and 6 in depth. Many of the springs afford fine salt; some are very pure, and others are impregnated with noxious substances; while others are remarkable for their use in dyeing particular colours. rived. "It is worthy of notice (says our author), that Whence streams of water, some of them more copious, others such a large more scanty, are seen to issue at all different degrees of quantity of height, from the base to the summit of the mountain. water is deEven in summer, when very little rain falls for three or four months, or when perhaps for that space there is no rain at all, and for three of which, at least, there is not an ounce of snow melted; even then a great number of rivulets continue to flow down the sides of Ætna; and at the same time a number of streams, external and subterraneous, each of them several feet wide, are, according to the accounts of the country people, plentifully supplied with water. "As the trifling quantity of snow which is melted here even in the midst of summer, and the still smaller quantity deposited by the clouds, would be totally insufficient to supply those streams, and must be all absorbed by the earth for the support of vegetation, those streams must proceed from some other cause, whose effects are more copious and perma nent. |