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Sydney.
Sitting Magistrate—A. Riley, Esq.
Assize of Bread, Thirteen pence Halfpenny.
SHIP NEWS.
On Sunday last arrived from the River Derwent the
Henrietta Packet, Mr. Kelly master, in five days. She brings
about 14 tons of fine potatoes, and left at Hobart the ship
Frederick, Capt. Duncan; and Allegator, Capt. Savigny,
the arrival of both which from Bengal we noticed some weeks
since; also, the brig Mary and Sally, with 85 tons of elephant
oil, procured in three months at Macquarie Island.
On Thursday morning sailed the Windham for the Island
of Ceylon, with a detachment of the 1st Battalion of His
Majesty's 73d Regiment, under the Command of Lieutenant
Colonel GEILS, intended for that Island. She calls at the
Derwent for the purpose of leaving a Company of the 48th
Regiment, to relieve the detachment of the 73d hitherto
stationed there; and then proceeds direct for Ceylon.
Same day sailed the Argo, Captain Dixon, for the Isle of
France.
We have the pleasure to report, that since the first setting
in of the late rains, the face of the country has undergone a
change of appearance the most captivating, from one pecu-
liarly contrasted. The fields, like a bird newly moulted
attract the eye with its ornamental beauties, yet leaving
to the herdsman, the shepherd, and the farmer the sublimer

task of appreciating blessings which Providence can bestow
alone. We have heard trivial very late complaint of the
visitation of the grub caterpillar and from thence should
conceive its visit has for this season terminated. It
would be nevertheless very desirable that a few cultivators
should take upon themselves the public duty of endeavouring
to trace the little insect to its haunt and peculiarities, for
the purpose of reducing to a system some practicable means
of checking its rapacity, by reducing its numbers, or by
ascertaining the periods of its appearance, thence guarding
against its destructive progress by the application of reme-
dies which time might furnish.

We have the pleasure to state, that the new bridges erected
on the Liverpool Road have sustained no injury whatever
from the late incessant torrent of rain. The roads, as must
have been expected, were very unpleasant for travelling in
many places that had been levelled by a stratum of earth and
gravel which had not sufficiently condensed before the rains
set in. This inconvenience will however be but temporary,
as every care will be employed to render this fine road as
permanently useful as it is decidedly ornamental to that

branch of local improvement.

On Wednesday morning, at 8 o'clock, Richard Dowling,
Francis Barry, and Angelo Le Rosse, three of the malefac-
tors condemned to death before the late Court of Criminal
Jurisdiction, were led to the place of execution, and with their
lives atoned for their offences. Dowling and Barry were very
contrite ; but the other, who was a Roman Catholic, and at-
tended by a monitor of the same pursuasion, did not at the
approach of death evince that resignation to his fate, from
which alone can emanate the peace of mind which the true
Christian wishes every fellow being to enjoy.
In the Gazette of the 30th of last January, we were ena-
bled to publish a short and imperfect account of an eruption
in a mountain of St. Vincent's, called the Souffrier Moun-
tain: The following is a particular and highly interesting
account of that most singular and unaccountable phenome-
non.—The Souffrier Mountain, the most northerly of the
lofty chain running through the centre of the island, and the
highest of the whole, as computed by the most accurate
survey that has yet been taken, had for some time past indi-
cated, much inquietude; and from the extraordinary fre-
quency and violence of earthquakes, which are calculated to
have exceeded 200 within the last year, portended some
great movement, or eruption. The apprehension, however,
was not so immediate as to restrain curiosity, or to prevent
repeated visits to the crater, which of late had been more
numerous than at any former period, even up to Sunday last,
the 26th of April, when some gentlemen ascended it, and
remained there for some time. Nothing unusual was then
remarked, or any external difference observed, except rather

a stronger emission of smoke from the interstices of the con-
ical hill at the bottom of the crater. To those who have
not visited this romantic and wonderful spot, a light de-
scription of it, as it lately stood, is previously necessary and
indispensible to form any conception of if, and to the better
understanding the account which follows—for no one living
can expect to see it again in the perfection and beauty in
which it was on Sunday the 26th inst.

About two thousand feet from the level of the sea (cal-
culated from conjecture), on the South side of the mountain,

and rather more than 2/3rds of its height opens an immense
circular chasm, somewhat exceeding half a mile in diameter
and between four or five hundred feet in depth—exactly in
the centre of this capacious bowl, rose a conical hill about
250 or 300 feet in height, and about 200 in diameter, richly
covered and variegated with shrubs, brushwood and vines,
about half way up, and for the remainder powdered over
with virgin sulphur to the top. From the fissures in the cone
and interstices of the rocks, a thin white smoke, was con-
stantly emitted, occasionally tinged with a slight bluish flame.
The precipitous sides of this magnificent ampitheatre were
fringed with various ever-greens, and aromatic shrubs, flow-
ers and many Alpine plants. On the north and south sides
of the base of the cone, were two pieces of water, one per-
fectly pure and tasteless; the other strongly impregnated
with sulphur and alum.

The lonely and beautiful spot was rendered more enchant-
ing by the singularly melodious notes of a bird, an inhabitant
of these upper solitudes, and altogether unknown to the
other parts of the island, hence principally called or sup-
posed to be invisible, though it certainly has been seen, and
is a species of the merle. A century had now elapsed since
the last convulsion of the mountain, or since any other ele-
ments had disturbed the serenity of this wilderness than
those which are common to the Tropical tempest. It appa-
rently slumbered in primeval solitudes and tranquillity; and
from the luxuriant vegetation and growth of the forest,
which covered its sides from the base nearly to the summit,
seemed to discountenance the fact, and falsify the records
of the ancient volcano. Such was the majestic, peaceful
Souffrier on the 27th of April, 1812; but we trod on
"Ignum repositum ciniri doloso," and our imaginary safety
was soon to be confounded by the sudden danger of devasta-

tion. Just as the plantation bells rung twelve at noon, on
Monday the 27th, an abrupt and dreadful crash from the
mountain, with a severe concussion of the earth, and tremu-
lous noise in the air, alarmed all around it. The resurrection
of this fiery furnace was proclaimed in a moment by a
vast column of thick, black, ropy smoke, like that of an im-
mense glass house, bursting forth at once, and mounting to
the sky, showering down sand, with gritty calcined parti-
cles of earth, and favila mixed, on all below. This driven
before the wind toward Wallibon and Morne Ronde, dark-

ened the air like a cataract of rain, and covered the ridges,
woods, and cane pieces with light grey coloured ashes, re-
sembling snow when a little sublimed by dust. As the erup-

tion increased, the continual shower expanded destroying,
every appearance of vegetation. At night a very consider-
able degree of ignition was observed on the lips of the cra-

ter, but it is not asserted that there was as yet any visible
ascension of flame. The same awful scene presented itself
on Tuesday; the fall of favilla and calcined pebbles still in-
creasing, and the compact - pitchy column from the crater
rising perpendicularly to an immense height, with a noise at
intervals like the rumbling of distant thunder. On Wed-

nesday the 29th all these menacing symptoms of horror and
combustion still gathered more thick and terrific for
miles around the dismal and half obscured mountain. The
prodigious column shot up with quicker motion, dilating
as it rose like a balloon. The sun appeared in total
eclipse, and shed a meridian twylight over us, that aggrava-
ted the wintry gloom of the scene, now completely pow-
dered over with falling particles. It was evident that the

crisis was as yet to come; that the burning fluid was strug-
gling for a vent, and labouring to throw off the superincum-

bent strata and obstructions which suppressed the ignivorous.
torrent. At night it was manifested, that it had greatly
disengaged itself from its burthen, by the appearance of fire

flashing now and then, flaking above the mouth of the
crater.

On Thursday the memorable 30th of April, the reflexion of
the rising sun on this majestic body of curling vapour, was
sublime beyond imagination, and a comparison of the
Glaciers, of the Andes, or Cordilleras with it, can but feebly
convey an idea of the fleecy whiteness and brilliancy of this

awful column of intermingled and wreathed smoke and
clouds. It afterwards assumed a more sulphureous cast,
like what we call thunder clouds, and in the course of the
day a ferrugineous and sanguine appearance, with much live-
lier action in the ascent, a more extensive dilation, as if
almost freed from every obstruction—afternoon the noise was
incessant, and resembled the approach of thunder still nearer

and nearer, with a vibration, that affected the feelings and
hearing: as yet there was no convulsive motion, or sensible
earthquake.—Terror and consternation now seized all
beholders. The Charabs settled at Morne Ronde, at the foot
of the Souffrier, abandoned their houses, with their live

stock and everything they possessed, and fled precipitately
towards town. The negroes became confused, forsook their

work, looked up to the mountain, and as it shook, trembled
with the dread of what they could neither understand, or
describe. The birds fell to the ground, overpowered with
showers of favilla, unable to keep themselves on the wing. The

cattle were starving for want of food, as not a blade of grass
or leaf was now to be found. The sea was much discoloured,

but in no wise uncommonly agitated: it is remarkable, that
throughout the whole of this violent disturbance of the
earth, it continued quite passive, and did not at any time
sympathise with the agitation of the land.

About four P.M. the noise became more alarming, and
just before sunset the clouds reflected a bright copper colour,
suffused with fire. Scarcely had the day closed, when

the flame burnt at length pyramidically from the crater,
through the mass of smoke ; the rolling of the thunder be-
came more awful and deafening. Electric flashes quickly

succeeded, attended with loud claps, and now indeed the
hurly-burly began. Those only who have witnessed such a
sight, can form an idea of the magnificence and variety of the
lightning and electric flashes ; some forked, zig-zag, playing
across the perpendicular column from the crater-- others
shooting upwards from the mouth like rockets of the most
dazzling lustres others like shells with their trailing fires
flying in different parabolas, with most vivid scintillations
from the dark sanguine column, which how seemed inflexi-
ble, and immoveable by the wind. Shortly after seven P.
M. the mighty cauldron was seen to simmer, and; the ebulli-

tion of lava to break out on the N.W. side. This immedi-
ately afterwards boiling over the orifice and flowing a short
way, was opposed by the acclivity of a higher point of land,
over which it was impelled by the immense tide of liquified
fire that drove it on, forming the figure V in grand Illumina-
tion. Sometimes, when the ebullition slackened, or was in-
sufficient to urge it over the obstructing hill, it recoiled back,
like a refluent billow from the rock, and then again rushed
forward impelled by fresh supplies, and scaling every obsta-
cle, carrying rocks and woods together in its course down the
slope of the mountain until it precipitated some vast ravine,
concealed from our sight by the intervening ridges of Morne
Roude. Vast globular bodies of fire were seen projected
from the fiery furnace and bursting, fell back into it, or
over on the surrounding bushes, which were instantly set in
flames. About four hours from the lava boiling over the crater,
it reached the sea, as we could observe from the reflexion of
the fire and the electric flashes attending it.

About half-past one another stream of lava was seen de-
scending to the eastward towards Rabacca. - The thundering
noise of the mountains, and the vibration of sound that had
been so formidable hitherto, now mingled in the sullen, mo-
notomous roar of the rolling lava became so terrible, that
dismay was almost turned into despair. At this time the
first earthquake was felt ; this was followed by showers of
cinders; that fell with the hissing noise of hail during two
hours. At three o'clock a rolling on the roofs of the houses

indicated a fall of stones, which soon thickened, and at
length descended in a rain of intermingled fire, that threat-
ened at once the fate of Pompeia, or Herculaneum. The
cracking and coruscations from the crater at this, period ex-
ceeded all that yet passed. The eyes were struck with mo-
mentary blindness, and the ears stunned with the glomeration
of sounds—people sought shelter in cellars, under rocks,
or anywhere, for everywhere was nearly the same, and the
miserable negroes flying from their huts, were knocked down
or wounded, many killed in the open air—several houses
were set fire.

The estates situated in the immediate vicinity, seemed
doomed to destruction—had the stones that fell, been propor
tionably heavy to their size, not a living creature could have
escaped death—these having undergone a thorough fusion,
they were divested of their natural gravity, and fell almost
as light as pumex, though in some places as large as a man's
head—this dreadful rain of stones and fire lasted upwards of
an hour, and was again succeeded by cinders from three till
six o'clock in the morning. Earthquake followed earth-
quake almost momentary, or rather the whole of this part
of the island was in a state of continual oscillation, not agi-
tated by shocks, vertical or horizontal, but undulated like
water shaken in a bowl.

The break of day, if such it could be called, was truly
terrific—darkness was only visible at 8 o'clock, and the birth
of May dawned like the day of Judgment : A chaotic gloom
enveloped the mountain, and an impenetrable haze hung

over the sea, with black, sluggish clouds of a sulphureous
cast. The whole island was covered with favilla, craters,
siorial and broken masses of volcanic matter. It was not
until this afternoon, the muttering noise of the mountain sunk
gradually into a solemn, yet auspicious silence. Such were
the particulars of the sublime scene, from commencement to
catastrophe ! To describe the effects is, if possible a more
difficult, and truly most interesting task.

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