ke was formed, and much property and many ›yed.

ects of this dreadful calamity may in some measgined when it is known, that although Iceland that time contain more than fifty thousand inhere perished nine thousand human beings by è eruption, making nearly one in five of the ulation. Part of them were destroyed by the va itself, some by drowning, others by noxious ich the lava emitted, and others in consequence ine, caused by the showers of ashes which covat proportion of the island, and destroyed the The fish also, on which the inhabitants dea great measure, for food, entirely deserted the

any

antity of lava which Skaptar Jokul emitted duruption, was greater than is recorded of other The two principal branches or streams of lava, iefly in different directions. The length of the as forty miles, and of the other fifty miles. The that branch which filled the Skapta, was from fifteen miles, and the other about seven miles. Lary depth of each was about 100 feet, but in files it was more than 600 feet deep, and in many n 200 to 300.

g that the united breadth of this vast lava stream iles, and the whole length 90 miles, then this at a single eruption, threw out a quantity of láva ered a surface of 1800 square miles, an area he fourth part of the State of Connecticut, and e half the size of Rhode Island.

t is considered that the depth of the whole might 50 feet, we may go into calculations concerning ty of matter thrown out, but we can have no conthe force required to elevate such a stream of k through the crust of the earth.

It

on of Jorullo, in 1759. Jorullo is situated in the
- Mexico, about 100 miles from the nearest sea.
ntain, as already stated, affords the only known
f a volcano, at a distance from some ocean.
Is an instance of the production of a new volcanic
within the memory of man.

In June, 175 were heard by were followed other for two m

were seen to iss

the same place,
height. Soon
lava and the fra
in the same nei
hundred feet in
Jorullo, which w
rose to the heigh
and fragments
action, Jorullo be
and continued to
tive rock, for ma
flames ever since

Volcano of Su
Islands; and the
Some accounts, t
of which any acc
boro.

This eruption o
was most terrific
did it cease entire
The explosions so
non at a distance,
supposed there wa
ing, but could not

The commande
forts, gave orders
several hundred m
matra, these treme
though not nearer
were also heard at
Sumatra, at the di
So immense in
Bima, forty miles
lish Resident's ho
other houses in th
ble from the same
air was so full of
is said the darknes

ne, 1759, subterranean sounds of an alarming kind eard by the inhabitants of this district, and these llowed by earthquakes, which succeeded each two months. In the month of September, flames en to issue from fissures in the ground, and from e place, red hot rocks were thrown to an immense Soon after, six volcanic cones were formed of I the fragments of rock, thrown up from the earth, me neighborhood. The least of these was three feet in height. In the midst of these cones, rose which was formed in the same manner, and soon he height of 1600 feet by the accumulation of lava ments of rock. The small cones ceasing their prullo became the great outlet of volcanic matter, inued to emit lava and large fragments of primifor many months. Jorullo has continued to emit ver since its formation.

no of Sumbawa.

Sumbawa is one of the Molucca and the mountain from which occurred, on counts, the most extraordinary volcanic eruption any accounts have been recorded, is called Tom

ruption commenced on the 5th of April, 1815, but terrific on the 11th and 12th of that month, nor se entirely, until sometime in the following July. osions so much resembled the firing of heavy candistance, that the people of many vessels at sea, there was a great naval engagement within hearould not imagine what nations were engaged. mmanders of some ships, and of several English e orders to prepare for battle, though they were indred miles distant from the mountain. At Suese tremendous explosions were distinctly heard, ot nearer than 900 miles from Tomboro. They heard at Ternate, in the opposite direction from at the distance of 720 miles from the mountain. nense in quantity was the fall of ashes, that at ty miles from the mountain, the roof of the Englent's house was crushed by the weight, and many ses in the same town were rendered uninhabitahe same cause. At Java, 300 miles distant, the

full of ashes that from this cause at mid dow it

ore been experienced, during the most stormy
coast of Sumbawa, the sea was covered with
intermixed with trees and timber, so that it
for vessels to sail through the mass. Some
ugh at a long distance at sea, mistook this
, and sent out their boats in order to ascertain
their situations. The sea, on this and the
coasts, rose suddenly to the height of twelve
form of immense waves, and as they retired,
trees, timber, and houses, with their inhabi-
he vessels lying near the shore were torn from
ngs, and cast upon the land. Violent whirl-
d into the air men, horses, cattle, trees, and
e was in the vicinity of the mountain. Large
rn up by the roots, and carried into the sea.
calamitous part of the account still remains;
e the tremendous effects of the burning lava;
ing of the sea; the fall of houses; and the vio-
whirlwind, that out of 12,000 inhabitants on
nly twenty-six individuals escaped with their
rest being destroyed in one way or another.

EART

Earthquake of quakes," says Mr. I ent parts of the glob labria, in 1783, is th be said to have such him fully to apprec capable of producin gan in February, 11 the end of 1786." question, arises from only spot hitherto vulsions, by men p scientific informatio scribe with accuracy on geological questi Authors who wit vulsions, are quite Pignataro, a physic earthquakes, and w force of the shock Royal Academy of their own body to C instructions to descr fects of these terribl ilton, who surveyed ceased, has added limits will, howeve the facts, from these The subterranean fines of Sicily; but taken as the centre twenty-two miles, w the greatest calamit and villages were a The first shock, ary, 1783, threw greater part of the described. The co have resembled the instances, it produc ness. This rolling was like that whic tation of a vast ma In some walls w

e island was completely covered with ashes, or ic matter. In some places, the bottom of the levated, as to make shoals, where there was efore; and in others, the land sunk down, and 'n by the sea.

ls of this awful calamity were collected, and Sir Stamford Raffles, then Governor of Java, 1 all the residents in the various districts under , to send him a statement of the circumstances nder their several observations.-See Raffles' a; and Brande's Quart. Jour. vol. i.

EARTHQUAKES.

us given a short history of a sufficient num ic eruptions, to acquaint the geological stue phenomena, and of the tremendous as well s effects of these mighty agents, we will next ubject of earthquakes, as resulting from the

m

uake of Calabria. "Of the numerous earthsays Mr. Lyell," which have occurred in differof the globe, during the last 100 years, that of Ca1783, is the only one of which the geologist can have such a circumstantial account, as to enable to appreciate the changes which this cause is producing in the lapse of ages. The shocks bebruary, 1783, and lasted nearly four years, to E 1786." The importance of the earthquake in arises from the circumstance, that Calabria is the hitherto visited, both during and after the conby men possessing sufficient leisure, zeal, and information, to enable them to collect and deh accuracy, the physical facts which throw light. ical questions. Lyell, vol. i. p. 412.

The

s who witnessed the phenomena of these con-
are quite numerous. Among them, it is said that
- a physician, who resided at the centre of the
es, and who kept a register of the number and
he shocks, is among the most correct.
ademy of Naples, also sent a commission from
body to Calabria, accompanied by artists, with
as to describe and illustrate by drawings, the ef-
ese terrible convulsions; and Sir William Ham-
surveyed this district before the shocks had
s added many facts not recorded by others. Our
1, however, allow only a very brief summary of
rom these several sources.

oterranean concussions were felt beyond the con-
cily; but if the city of Oppido, in Calabria, be
he centre, a circle around it, whose radius is
o miles, would include the space which suffered
st calamities. Within this circle, all the towns
es were almost entirely destroyed.

st shock, which took place on the 5th of Febru
, threw down, in the space of two minutes, a
rt of the houses, within the whole space above

The convulsive motion of the earth, is said to mbled the rolling of the sea, and that in many it produced swimming of the head, like sea-sicks rolling of the surface, like the billows of the sea, hat which would have been produced by the agivast mass of liquid matter under the ground.