most magnificent bursts took place which we had yet witnessed, accompanied by a very severe shock of an earthquake. The instantaneous and involuntary movement of each was to spring upon his feet; and I said, "This admits of no doubt." The words had scarcely passed my lips, before we observed a large portion of the face of the cliff, about fifty yards on our left, falling, which it did with a violent crash. So soon as our first consternation had a little subsided, we removed about ten or a dozen yards further from the edge of the cliff, and finished our dinner. On the succeeding day, June 15th, having the Consul and some other friends on board, I weighed, and proceeded with the ship towards the volcano, with the intention of witnessing a night view; but in this expectation we were greatly disappointed, from the wind freshening, and the weather becoming thick and hazy, and also from the volcano itself being clearly more quiescent than it was the preceding day. It seldom emitted any lightning, but occasionally as much flame as may be seen to issue from the top of a glass-house or foundry chimney. On passing directly under the great cloud of smoke, about three or four miles distant from the volcano, the decks of the ship were covered with fine black ashes, which fell intermixed with small rain. We returned the next morning, and late on the evening of the same day I took leave of St. Michael's to complete my cruize. On opening the volcano clear of the N. W. part of the island, after dark on the 16th, we witnessed one or two eruptions that, had the ship been near enough, would have been awfully grand. It appeared one continued blaze of lightning; but its distance from the ship, upwards of twenty miles, prevented our seeing it with effect. Returning again towards St. Michael's, on the 4th of July, I was obliged, by the state of the wind, to pass with the ship very close to the Island, which was now completely formed by the vol cano, being nearly the height of Matlock High Tor, about eighty yards above the sea. At this time it was perfectly tranquil; which circumstance determined me to land, and explore it more narrowly. I left the ship in one of the boats, accompanied by some of the officers. As we ap proached, we perceived that it was still smoking in many parts, and, upon our reaching the island, found the surf on the beach very high. Rowing round to the lee side, with some little difficulty, by the aid of an oar, as a pole, I jumped on shore, and was followed by the other officers. We found a narrow beach of black ashes, from which the side of the island rose in general too steep to admit of our ascending; and where we could have clambered up, the mass of matter was much too hot to allow our proceeding more than a few yards in the ascent. From The declivity below the surface of the sea was equally steep, having seven fathoms water at scarcely the boat's length from the shore, and at the distance of twenty or thirty yards we sounded twenty-five fathoms. walking round it in about twelve minutes, I should judge that it was something less than a mile in circumference; but the most extraordinary part was the crater, the mouth of which, on the side facing St. Michael's, was nearly level with the sea. It was filled with water, at that time boiling, and was emptying itself into the sea by a small stream about six yards over, and by which I should suppose it was continually filled again at high water. This stream, close to the edge of the sea, was so hot, as only to admit the finger to be dipped suddenly in, and taken out again immediately. It appeared evident, by the formation of this part of the island, that the sea had, during the eruptions, broken into the crater in two places, as the east side of the small stream was bounded by a precipice; a cliff between twenty and thirty feet high, forming a peninsula of about the same dimension in width, and from fifty to sixty feet long, connected with the other part of the island by a narrow ridge of cinders and lava, as an isthmus, of from forty to fifty feet in length, from which the crater rose in the form of an amphitheatre. This cliff, at two or three miles distance from the island, had the appearance of a work of art resembling a small fort or block-house. The top of this we were determined, if possible, to attain; but the difficulty we had to encounter in doing so was considerable; the only way to attempt it was up the side of the isthmus, which was so steep, that the only mode by which we could effect it, was by fixing the end of an oar at the base, with the assistance of which we forced ourselvesup in nearly a backward direction Having reached the summit of the isthmus, we found another difficulty; for it was impossible to walk upon it, as the descent on the other side was immediate, and as steep as the one we had ascended; but by throwing our legs across it, as would be done on the ridge of a house, and moving ourselves forward by our hands, we at length reached that part of it where it gradually widened itself, and formed the summit of the cliff, which we found to have a perfectly flat surface, of the dimensions before stated. Judging this to be the most conspicuous situation, we here planted the Union, and left a bottle sealed up, containing a short account of the origin of the island, and of our having landed upon it, and naming it Sabrina Island. (See Plate, No. 23.) Within the crater I found the complete skeleton of a guard-fish, the bones of which, being perfectly burnt, fell to pieces upon attempting to take them up; and, by the account of the inhabitants on the coast of St. Michael's, great numbers of fish had been destroyed during the early part of the eruption, as large quantities, probably suffocated or poisoned, were occasionally found drifted into the small inlets or bays. The island, like other volcanic productions, is composed principally of porous substances, generally burnt to complete cinders, with occasional masses of a stone, which I should suppose to be a mixture of iron and limestone. Sabrina Island has gradually disappeared, since the month of October, 1811, leaving an extensive shoal. Smoke was discovered still issuing out of the sea in the month of February, 1812, near the spot where this wonderful phenomenon appeared. SUBTERRANEOUS WONDERS. THE GREAT KENTUCKY CAVERN. Give me, ye powers, the wonderous scenes to show, FOR a very interesting account of this stupendous cavern, which is unparalleled in the history of subterraneous wonders, we are indebted to Dr. Nahum Ward, who published it in the MONTHLY MAGAZINE of October 1816. It is situated in Warren County, and in a territory not mour tainous, but broken, differing in this respect from all the other caverns hitherto known. The Doctor, provided with guides, two large lamps, a compass, and refreshments, descended a pit forty feet in depth, and one hundred and twenty in circumference; having a spring of fine water at the bottom, and conducting to the entrance of the cavern. The opening, which is to the north, is from forty to fifty feet high, about thirty in width. It narrows shortly after, but again expands to a width of thirty or forty feet, and a height of twenty, continuing these dimensions for about a mile, to the first hoppers,* where a manufactory of saltpetre has recently been established. Thence to the second of these hoppers, two miles from the entrance, it is forty-feet in width, and sixty in height. Throughout nearly the whole of the distance handsome walls have been made by the manufacturers, of the loose lime-stones. The road is hard, and as smooth as a flag pavement. In every passage which the Doctor traversed, the sides of the cavern were perpendicular, and the arches, which have bid defiance even to earthquakes, are regular. In 1802, when the heavy shocks of earthquakes came on which were so severely felt in this part of Kentucky, the workmen stationed at the seccond hoppers, heard about five minutes before each shock, a heavy rumbling noise issue from the cave, like a strong wind. When that ceased, the rocks cracked, and the whole appeared to be going in a moment to final destruction.However, no one was injured, although large portions of rock fell in different parts of the cavern. In advancing into the cavern, the avenue leads from the second hoppers, west, one mile; and thence, south-west, to the chief area or city, which is six miles from the entrance. This avenue, throughout its whole extent from the above station to the cross-roads, or chief area, is from sixty to one hundred feet in height, of a similar width, and nearly on a level, the floor or bottom being covered with loose lime-stone, and salt-petre earth. "When," observes the Doctor, "I reached this immense area (called "the chief city) which contains upwards of eight acres, "without a single pillar to support the arch, which is "entire over the whole, I was struck dumb with astonish A hopper is an inverted cone, into which corn is put at a mill before it runs between the stones. "ment.-Nothing can be more sublime and grand than "this place, of which but a faint idea can be conveyed, "covered with one solid arch at least one hundred feet "high, and to all appearance entire." Having entered the area, the Doctor perceived five large avenues leading from it, from sixty to one hundred feet in width, and about forty in height. The stone walls are arched, and were from forty to eighty feet perpendicular in height before the commencement of the arch. In exploring these avenues, the precaution was taken to cut arrows, pointing to the mouth of the cave, on the stones beneath the feet, to prevent any difficulty in the return. The first which was traversed, took a southerly direction for more than two miles; when a second was taken, which led first east, and then north, for more than two miles further. These windings at length brought the party, by another avenue, to the chief city again, after having traversed different avenues for more than five miles. Having reposed for a few moments on slabs of limestone near the centre of this gloomy area, and refreshed themselves and trimmed their lamps, they departed a second time, through an avenue almost north, parallel with the one leading from the chief city to the mouth of the cavern; and, having proceeded upwards of two miles, came to the second city. This is covered with a single arch, nearly two hundred feet high in the centre, and is very similar to the chief city, except in the number of its avenues which are two only. They crossed it over a very considerable rise in the centre, and descended through an avenue which bore to the east, to the distance of nearly a mile, when they came to a third area, or city, about one hundred feet square, and fifty in height, which had a pure and delightful stream of water issuing from the side of a wall about thirty feet high, and which fell on a broken surface of stone, and was afterwards entirely lost to view. Having passed a few yards beyond this beautiful sheet of water, so as to reach the end of the avenue, the party returned about one hundred yards, and passing over a considerable mass of stone, entered another, but smaller avenue to the right, which carried them south, through a third, of an uncommonly black hue, somewhat more than a mile; when they ascended a very steep hill about sixty yards, which |