Wonders of Creation

ent-Jorullo's Estat

Swells-Swallows T

urning Mountain-P

uller's Ascent-Mor

fri

ut Mr. Jorullo, without his having to lay down a single Mexican dollar, and without any labour, either of his own or of his servants, had a magnificent monument raised to his memory in a single night. Jorullo's

ry. He was a landed proprietor-the owner of a nice little farm of great fertility, situated to the westward of the city of Mexico, and about ninety miles from the coast of the P

ration:

e 28th of September, however, their slumbers were suddenly broken by a return of the horrible underground rumblings-thundering more loudly than before. The next night, these subterranean thunders became so loud, that the Indian servants started from their beds, and fled in terror to the mountains in the neighbourhood. Gazing thence, after day had dawned, they beheld to their astonishment that a tract of

the surface of the ground seemed to swell into billows, like those of a tempestuous sea. Into the vast burning chasms, whence these ejections were thrown, two rivers plunged in cataracts; but the water only increased the violence of the eruption. It was thrown into ste

ge quantities of lava; but in the succeeding years it became less turbulent in its activity. It still, however, continues to burn; and the mountain emits from the wide crater at its summit several jets of vapour. The foregoing woodcut gives a view of this volcano, and of the little steaming ovens which stud the whole gr

table or capable of cultivation. It is now, however, so much cooled down, that it is once more covered with vegeta

ima. What is rather remarkable, these five, together with Jorullo, all lie nearly in a straight line running east and we

the time of the Spanish invasion under Cortés. Of the first approach of the Spaniards to this volcano, and of the attempts made

ns regarded these celebrated mountains as gods, and Iztaccihuatl as the wife of her more formidable neighbour. A tradition of a higher character described the northern volcano as the abode of the departed spirits of wicked rulers, whose fiery agonies in their prison-house caused the fearful bel

it was frequently in a state of activity, and raged with uncommon fury while the Spaniards were at Tlascala; an evil omen, it was thought, for the natives of Anahuac. Its head, gathered into a regular cone by the deposit of successive eruptions, wore the usual form of volcanic mountains, when not disturbed by the falling in of the crater. Soaring towards the skies, with its silver sheet of e

uld accomplish and live. Cortés encouraged them in the enterprise, willing to show the Indians that no achievement was above the dauntless daring of his followers. One of his captains,

ose to the perpendicular height of 150 feet, compelling them to take a wide circuit. They soon came to the limits of perpetual snow, where new difficulties presented themselves, as the treacherous ice gave an imperfect footing, and a false step might precipitate them into the frozen chasms that yawned around. To increase their distress, respiration in these aerial regions became so difficult, that every effort was attended with sharp pains in the head and limbs. Still they pressed on, till, drawing nearer the crater, such volumes of smoke, sparks, and cinders were belched forth from its burning entrails, and driven down the sides of the mountain, as nearly suffocated and blinded them. It was too much even for their hardy frames to endure, and, however reluctan

niards, five in-number, climbed to the very edge of the crater, which presented an irregular ellipse at its mouth, more than a league in circumference. Its depth might be from 800 to 1000 feet. A lurid flame burned gloomily at the bottom, sending up a sulphureous steam, which, cooling as it rose, was precipitated on the sid

and 1834. The crater is now a large oval basin with precipitous walls, composed of beds of lava, of which some are black, others of a pale rose tint. At the bottom of the crater, which is nearly flat, are several c

5 and 1560; but since then it has sunk into comparative repose. This mountain was ascended by Baron Muller in 1856. A first attempt proved unsuccessful; but by passing a night in a grotto near the limit of perpetual snow, he wa

griefs, but only for a moment; suddenly I fell to t

spect of those regions, or the impressions they produced on me. Here seemed to be the gate of the nether world, enclosing darkness and horror. What terrible power must ha

as I could see, was covered with snow, consequently not at all warm. The Indians however affirmed that, at several points, a hot air issues from crev

return. The two Indians rolled together the straw mats which they had brought, and bent them in front so as to form a sort of sledge. We sat down upon these, and stretching out our legs, allowed ourselves to glide down on this vehicle. The rap

ave been particularly violent. In 1812 the ashes which it threw out were so great in quantity, and projected to so vast a height, that they were carried to a distance of two hundred miles in the teeth of the trade-wind. From Mount Pelée, in M