The general aspect of the country, the situation and prevalence of tuff, indicated that volcanic action had here been rife 'long before Vesuvius began to emit lava, and when the country was still under water."

Ascending the Apennines, the limestone, which has generally been regarded as coeval with that of the Jura, was observed to be nearly destitute of petrifactions; and Dr. Daubeny was able to trace proofs of its elevation and excavation into valleys having taken place prior to the formation of the volcanic matter resting upon it. This was also indicated by the appearance of the limestone jutting out, " and, as it were, protruding itself in several places, at an elevation much inferior to that which the tuff is seen to attain; and likewise from the occurrence, high up on the chain, of lateral valleys, the summits of which are capped with limestone, though the hollows and sides present only tuff." Along the road, alternate beds of volcanic tuff, and pumice of various colors, were distinctly seen. "The great thickness which the mass must have attained when it extended over the plain of Campania, as it once appears to have done, to a considerable height above its actual level; and the vast number of strata which might be counted on our ascent, are circumstances which forcibly arrest the attention of the scientific traveller." The view from the summit of the Apennines is described as magnificent and varied. On a hill to the right, was seen the picturesque ruin of an ancient fortress; and on another to the left, a monastery dedicated to the Madonnastanding on the site of an ancient temple of Cybele. "Once a year, thousands from all parts, regardless of the steepness of the ascent, toil up the mountain, either to offer their adorations at the shrine, or under the influence of the various human motives which conspire to swell the numbers collected on such occasions."

This range of mountains stretches from north-west to southeast, from the Alps to the "very foot of Italy, but leaving on either side of it a considerable tract of comparatively level ground, of which the Campagna di Roma, the Pontine marshes, and the Terra di Lavoro, round Naples on the west; and the flats of Taranto, Bari, and Otranto, on the east, may be cited as examples." Descending to the town of Avellino, which is now, as in the days of Virgil, famous for its orchards and hazel nuts, and proceeding to Frigento, a highly picturesque country was passed through, and a continuation of the volcanic tuff observed. But after some miles, the traces of volcanic action were lost

sight of, and were succeeded by blue compact limestone, with beds of grit.

Our traveller was hospitably entertained at the house of one of the principal proprietors of Frigento, but he remarks, that "in this bleak and exposed country, December is not the month to enjoy comfort in the country houses of the Neapolitan gentry. In all parts of the world the habits and fashions of the capital are more or less a law to the provinces; and as the Londoner has introduced at Naples the grates and coal fires which he uses at home, so in the little town of Frigento, the very name of which, Frigento (a frigore,) indicates its bleakness, the casino of my friend Don Martino was built after the fashion of those in the plain of Campania, and boasted not a single fire place in any one apartment excepting the kitchen. There accordingly the whole family (for they were by no means stoics as to cold) crowded after their evening repast was concluded."

The following morning Dr. Daubeny proceeded to the lake or pool of Amsanctus, situated in the plain below. This is supposed to be the spot where the fury Alecto descended to the infernal regions:

Amid fair Italy, renown'd by fame

Lies a deep vale, Amsanctus is the name.

There the black jaws of hell are open'd wide,
There rolls dire Acheron his fiery tide;
There lies the dark infernal cave, and there
Grim Pluto breathes the soft ethereal air.

Down through this dreadful opening, from on high
The fiend plung'd headlong, and reliev'd the sky.*

The exact locality alluded to by Virgil, has been the subject of some discussion, but was most probably this which is described in Dr. Daubeny's work; an opinion which he has supported by reference to various authorities, and by the citation of passages from the classics, descriptive of scenery, &c. Enormous quantities of gases were found to issue from the pool, which, on examination, proved to be mixtures of carbonic acid, and sulphuretted hydrogen; and the residuary air contained sixteen per cent. of oxygen, and eighty-four of nitrogen. In the course of his observations in other volcanic regions, Dr. Daubeny has found that whenever atmospheric air escapes from a volcanic source, it is deficient in oxygen. Some facts derived from a

Eneid, Book vi.

gentleman residing in the neighborhood of the lake, are given, which seem to show that the health of the inhabitants has materially suffered since the cutting down of a wood betwixt them and the lake. The odour of the lake could be perceived when the wind blew from it, although at the distance of four miles; and the sallowness of the complexions of the people was remarkable. Although our author does not seem to be willing to attribute as much influence to these gaseous exhalations upon the health of the inhabitants as has been done by others, he yet does not pronounce it impossible that they should have produced some effect. The quantity of mephitic vapor was such, as to oblige him to take a circuit, in order to avoid it; and instances not unfrequently occurred, as he informs us, of animals, and even men, being suffocated by it. This he considers as the origin of the fable of the Vado mortale, "a particular spot in the course of the rivulet that flows from the lake, which, it is said, cannot be forded without death; and which has been described as having on its borders an accumulation of the whitened bones of the various animals that had perished there, which must forever lie on the spot where they fell-because no living creature can approach to take them away, without adding to their number." When this visit was made to the lake, no bones were to be seen, except those of a few birds; and it was possible to reach the edge on the side from which the wind blew.

The pool is described as being about twenty paces in its smallest diameter, and thirty in its largest; its depth was said to vary from six to seven feet; its surface appeared to be in a state of violent ebullition, from the continual escape of such large quantities of gases. The color of the water is dark and muddy, and it tastes strongly of alum; its smell indicated sulphuretted hydrogen, and great changes had been produced by it upon the surrounding rocks. These changes appear to be similar to what are more or less noticed in various parts of the world, where similar gases are given off; the sulphur is precipitated, or converted into sulphur acids, these react upon the lime, alumina, or other constituents of the rocks and lavas, giving origin to clays, sulphate of lime, silicious deposits, alum, &c. Dr. Daubeny has, in a very ingenious manner, endeavored to show that the immense deposits of sulphur in Sicily may have been caused in the same way, an opinion which does not seem to be sufficiently borne out by the facts here observed, or which have been observed by ourselves in similar places. If

the decomposition of sulphuretted hydrogen gas will account for this vast deposit, we cannot perceive, very readily, why equally vast deposits may not exist in some of the West India islands, in the Azores, and other places, where Solfaterras are well known to occur. We are not aware that in any of these, large masses, or even pieces as large as a man's fist, of pure compact sulphur, are ever met with; although large quantities are deposited in the crevices of the clays, or decomposed lavas, or trachytes; but the latter are always in thin crusts, or groups of crystals. In some of these places, we have caused excavations to be made to a considerable depth, but the sulphur was always found as just stated. In regard to the formation of gypsum, as in the tertiary clays of Voltera in Sicily, and even in various other places in volcanic countries, there is little doubt of the theory proposed by Dr. Daubeny being the true one.

In speaking of the escape of the noxious gases from the rocks or soil of volcanic countries, Dr. Daubeny remarks, that he knows of no other instance in which the quantity is sufficient to endanger life, with the exception of that in the valley of death in Java. There is, however, a place in the island of St. Michaels, where large quantities of noxious gases are continually emitted from a hill side, and where, not only the bones of animals are seen around the orifice, but living animals, exposed to their influence, die in a very few minutes. The accounts given of the dangers of the valley in Java, are now well known to have been greatly exaggerated. This celebrated spot has recently been visited and described; the gases occupy the lower part, and it can be descended with safety to within about eighteen feet of the bottom. Small animals, sent in below, died in a short time. The human bones said to have been seen there, are supposed to have been those of rebels, who had fled to these recesses for safety. It is rather remarkable that, although the hills in this neighborhood are volcanic, there is no appearance of sulphur.

Places like these, as Dr. Daubeny very truly remarks, "possess an interest independent of the romance which attaches to their history; as showing that causes are in operation at the present day, in such spots remote from ordinary volcanic phenomena, on such a scale, as would in a comparatively short period modify the character of the earth's surface over a considerable extent- and produce new deposits, bearing a comparison in kind and in extent to those which geological observation presents to us."

Leaving the lake, our traveller proceeded towards Mount Vultur, and soon came upon alternating beds of loose sandstone and marl, resting upon a conglomerate, full of pebbles, chiefly of the older calcareous rock. The sand-stone abounded in fragile shells. To explain the singular occurrence of these tertiary deposits, our author quotes the words of Brocchi,* who maintains, that at one period, the habitable part of Italy was reduced to the ridge of the Apennines, which formed a long and narrow peninsula, connected with one of the heights of the Alps; that the ridge of the Apennines rose above the waters as a succession of islands, during which time these deposits took place. The geological appearances, however, noticed by Dr. Daubeny, do not lead to the inference that the whole of the valley is covered with tertiary deposits; on the contrary, from Avellino to Frigento, and from Frigento to Ariano, he saw only the Apennine limestone, with its subordinate beds, until he came within a few miles of the latter town, which stands on a lofty eminence composed of tertiary beds, resting on a loose. conglomerate. "The softness of the stone, of which the rock consists, has rendered it so easy to hollow out, that the whole surface towards the south is honey-combed into caves, which form the dwelling-places of a large proportion of the population. It is remarkable that the people, and more especially the children, who emerged from these damp and sombre habitations, seemed perfectly healthy, contrary to what has been observed in some other places of this kind-where, in consequence of the absence of light, the form and functions of the animal system are but imperfectly developed."

The country now traversed by our author, was formerly noted for the robberies committed in it, and, even at the present day, is far from being perfectly safe, as appears from the fact that videttes are planted at distances of a mile or two; and few, we are told, choose to delay their journey through it till the close of the day. At Ascoli, lodgings were procured at a little inn, kept by an old woman, whose haggard looks and wild expression, our traveller thought, might have suited one of the witches in Macbeth. He was curious to learn her history, and found that she was the sister of one of the famous robber chiefs of Apulia. In her youth she had possessed considerable personal charms; she had lived with her brother and his troop for many years in the mountains, and had shared their prosperity. On the breaking up of the banditti, and the apprehension and exConcholg. Subappen, p. 58.

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