spew over, and run down the convex side of the conical hill: appearing at first red-hot it changed colour, and hardened as it cooled, shewing the first rudiments of an eruption, or, if I may say so, an eruption in miniature; and had the wind driven in our faces, we had been in no small danger of stifling by the sulphureous smoke, or being knocked on the head by lumps of molten minerals, which we saw had sometimes fallen on the brink of the crater, upon those shot from the gulf at the bottom. But as the wind was favourable, I had an opportunity to survey this odd scene for above an hour and a half together; during which time it was very observable, that all the volleys of smoke, flame, and burning stones, came only out of the hole to our left, while the liquid stuff in the other mouth wrought and overflowed as hath been already described. June 5, after a horrid noise, the mountain was seen at Naples to spew a little out of the crater. The same continued the 6th. The 7th nothing was observed till within two hours of night, when it began a hideous bellowing, which continued all that night and the next day till noon, causing the windows, and as some affirm, the very houses in Naples to shake. From that time it spewed vast quantities of molten stuff to the south, which streamed down the side of the mountain like a great pot boiling over. evening I returned from a voyage through Apulia, and was surprised, passing by the north side of the mountain, to see a great quantity of ruddy smoke lie along a huge tract of sky over the river of molten stuff, which was itself out of sight. The 9th, Vesuvius raged less violently: that night we saw from Naples a column of fire shoot between whiles out of its summit. The 10th, when we thought all would have been over, the mountain grew very outrageous again, roaring and groaning most dreadfully. You cannot form a juster idea of this noise in the most violent fits of it, than by imagining a mixed sound made up of the raging of a tempest, the murmur of a troubled sea, and the roaring of thunder and artillery, confused all together. It was very terrible, as we heard it in the farther end of Naples, at the distance of above twelve miles: this moved my curiosity to approach the mountain. Three or four of us got into a boat, and were set ashore at Torre del Greco, a town situate at the foot of Vesuvius to the south-west, whence we rode four or five miles before we came to the burning This river, which was about midnight. The roaring of the volcano grew exceeding loud and horrible as we approached. I observed a mixture of colours in the cloud over the crater, green, yellow, red, and blue; there was likewise a ruddy dismal light in the air over that tract of land where the burning river flowed; ashes continually showered on us all the way from the sea-coast; all which circumstances, set off and augmented by the horror and silence of the night, made a scene the most uncommon and astonishing I ever saw, which grew still more extraordinary as we came nearer the stream. Imagine a vast torrent of liquid fire rolling from the top down the side of the mountain, and with irresistible fury bearing down, and consuming vines, olives, fig-trees, houses; in a word, every thing that stood in its way. This mighty flood divided into different channels, according to the inequalities of the mountain: the largest stream seemed half a mile broad at least, and five miles long. The nature and consistence of these burning torrents hath been described with so much exactness and truth by Borellus in his Latin treatise of Mount Etna, that I need say nothing of it. I walked so far before my companions up the mountain, along the side of the river of fire, that I was obliged to retire in great haste, the sulphureous stream having surprised me, and almost taken away my breath. During our return, which was about three o'clock in the morning, we constantly heard the murmur and groaning of the mountain, which between whiles would burst out into louder peals, throwing up huge spouts of fire and burning stones, which falling down again, resembled the stars in our rockets. Sometimes I observed two, at others three distinct columns of flames; and sometimes one vast one that seemed to fill the whole crater. These burning columns and the fiery stones seemed to be shot one thousand feet perpendicular above the summit of the volcano. The 11th, at night, I observed it, from a terrace in Naples, to throw up incessantly a vast body of fire, and great stones, to a surprising height. The 12th, in the morning it darkened the sun with ashes and smoke, causing a sort of eclipse. Horrid bellowings, this and the foregoing day, were heard at Naples, whither part of the ashes also reached at night I observed it throwing up flames as on the 11th. On the 13th, the wind changing, we saw a pillar C of black smoke shot upright to a prodigious height; at night I observed the mount cast up fire as before, though not so distinctly because of the smoke. The 14th, a thick black cloud hid the mountain from Naples. The 15th, in the morning, the court and walls of our house in Naples were covered with ashes. The 16th, the smoke was driven by a westerly wind from the town to the opposite side of the mountain. The 17th, the smoke appeared much diminished, fat and greasy. The 18th, the whole appearance ended, the mountain remaining perfectly quiet, without any visible smoke or flame. A gentleman of my acquaintance, whose window looked towards Vesuvius, assured me that he observed several flashes, as it were of lightning, issue out of the volcano. It is not worth while to trouble you with the conjectures I have conceived concerning the cause of these phenomena, from what I observed in the Lacus Amsancti, the Solfatara, &c. as well as in Mount Vesuvius. One thing I may venture to say, that I saw the fluid matter rise out of the centre of the bottom of the crater, out of the very middle of the mountain, contrary to what Borellus imagines, whose method of explaining the eruption of a volcano by an inflexed syphon and the rules of hydrostatics, is likewise inconsistent with the torrent's flowing down from the very vertex of the mountain. I have not seen the crater since the eruption, but design to visit it again before I leave Naples. I doubt there is nothing in this worth shewing the Society; as to that you will use your discretion." At Lyons, on his route homewards, he composed a Latin tract, De Motu, which he presented to the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris, by whom the subject had been propounded. He printed it in London in 1721; and the same year also published An Essay towards preventing the ruin of Our author's conjectures on the cause of the phenomena above-mentioned, do not appear in any of his writings; but he has often communicated them, in conversation to his friends. He observed, that all the remarkable volcanos in the world were near the sea. It was his opinion, therefore, that a vacuum being made in the bowels of the earth by a vast body of inflammable matter taking fire, the water rushed in and was converted into steam; which simple cause was sufficient to produce all the wonderful effects of volcanos, as appears from Savery's fire-engine for raising water, and from the Eolipile."-Life of Berkeley, prefixed to his Works. Great Britain. This was written in consequence of the dreadful convulsions occasioned by the South Sea Scheme: and though the advice which he gives has little novelty, the calamity perhaps admitted no other. He suggests some ways of improving the wealth and enlarging the manufactures of the country; and endeavours to recal the people to the practice of "religion, industry, frugality, and public spirit." In 1721 he returned to Ireland as chaplain to the duke of Grafton, the lord lieutenant; and also proceeded to his degree of doctor in divinity. The year succeeding he was enriched by one of those strange vicissitudes in life which the weak are constantly hoping for, but which few ever see realized. Upon the death of Mrs. Esther Vanhomrigh (the famous Vanessa who was enamoured of Dean Swift) it was found that she had appointed Dr. Berkeley and Mr. Marshal her executors, and made them joint heirs of a property amounting to nearly 8000l. The duplicity of the Dean, and his marriage with Stella had justly subjected him to this alienation of the lady's fortune; but on the other hand Berkeley had so little merited it by any assiduities on his part, that he had never seen her but once in his life. It seems therefore to have been an unbought and spontaneous mark of her friendship; and in this view even Swift appeared to regard it, as it did not produce any interruption of his services towards our author. The cor respondence between Cadenus and Vanessa,which Berkeley met with in the discharge of his executorial duty, he destroyed without delay; although he often declared to his friends that it disclosed nothing of an immoral nature. It is even said that Mrs. Vanhomrigh enjoined Mr. Marshal to publish, after her death, the letters between herself and the Dean: that gentleman, however, never thought proper to comply with the request. Being presented by the duke of Grafton (May, 1724) to the deanery of Derry, which was valued at about 11007. a-year, Berkeley found himself in possession of greater ease and affluence than his humble desires had coveted, Riches he despised,and his benevolent disposition urged him to seek the welfare of his fellow-creatures more than his own selfish enjoyment. In 1725 he had matured a plan of most wise and extensive philanthropy, which he made known to the public in a proposal for erecting a college in the isles of Bermuda. By such an institution he considered that both the churches in our foreign plantations could be more easily supplied with-fit ministers, and also the savage Americans might be converted to Christianity by the means of native missionaries properly educated. He was anxious to embark his own fortune in the undertaking which he proposed; and for the salary of 100%. a-year, as president in the new college, offered to resign his preferment and prospects at home. He inspired others also with such a portion of benevolent enthusiasm, that the Rev. William Thompson, Jonathan Rogers, and James King, masters of arts, and fellows of Trinity College, Dublin, consented to quit their country for fellowships on the proposed establishment, of the value of 407. a-year. American pupils, it was calculated, might be maintained at the rate of 107. per annum. Every thing appeared at first to flatter the projector's hopes; for his friend the Abbé Gualteri having submitted the scheme to George I., it was so favourably received by his majesty, that a charter was procured for the erection of the college, and Sir Robert Walpole was commanded to obtain the sanction of Parliament. The college was to bear the name of St. Paul, and to be governed by a president (Dr. Berkeley) and nine fellows, of whom the gentlemen before mentioned were appointed the first three. His majesty was requested by an address of the House of Commons (May 11, 1726) to make for their use such a grant, as he should think proper, out of the sale of the lands in St. Christopher's, surrendered by France to Great Britain by the treaty of Utrecht. Berkeley was encouraged by the minister to expect the sum of 20,000l.: this, together with private subscriptions that were made, inspired him with the hope of speedily realizing his philanthropic views. With these pleasing anticipations before him, the following verses were composed: The muse, disgusted at an age and clime, In distant lands now waits a better clime, In happy climes, where from the genial sun, |