Providence Patriot, Columbian Phenix

The New Volcano.—The Philomel brig of war, which left Malta Harbor on Tuesday afternoon, the 19th July, with the Masters of the St. Vincent and Ganges, to ascertain the correct particulars, &c. of the New Volcano Island forming off Sciacca, in Sicily, discovered the object at 1 A.M., on Thursday the 21st. At six observed a thick smoke issuing apparently from the sea, the spot bearing N. W. 3/4 W; and, on steering in that direction, fell in with the Hind cutter at nine, which vessel had left Malta, on Sunday the 17th, but had not reached the New Volcano, owing to calms.

The island then bore NW by W 6 or 8 miles distant, at 9 deg. 46 min. the Philomel hove to three miles to the windward. Capt. Smith with the two Masters, and Col. Bathurst, a passenger, left the vessel in boats for the purpose of taking soundings as near as they could approach with safety, but had scarcely got one mile away when the volcano burst out with a tremendous explosion, resembling the noise of a very heavy thunder storm, and flames of fire, like flashes of lightning. The boats were covered with black cinders, the distance of at least three miles from the volcano.

The eruption in all its fury lasted seven minutes, and when the smoke had somewhat cleared away the island had increased in size two fold. The volcano bursts out regularly at about every two hours, and emits all around it a suffocating sulphureous stench. On first making it, at a long distance, it resembles a cluster or grove of cyprus trees. The English brig Bootle, of Liverpool, an American, and one or two foreign vessels were off the place.

Its precise latitude is 37 11 North, and longitude 12 44 East; the soundings in the vicinity, say 80 yards off the island, bearing N. E. are 70 to 75 fathoms; West, a quarter of a mile, 72 to 76 fathoms. At five and six miles distance they vary from 70 to 80 fathoms. The volcano appears composed mostly of cinders of a rusty black color, having only a sprinkling of lava, of an oblong shape, and the Island, as last seen on Friday, the 23d, was not less than three quarters of a mile in circumference. The N. W. point is the highest, say about 50 feet above the level of the sea, and lower towards the southern extremity. The S. E. side of the crater has fallen in the level of the sea. The sea is drawn in with a very loud noise, and occasions an immense volume of white vapour to rise up in the air, curling and spreading far and wide; then succeeds rapidly the eruption of cinders and lava, thrown up to the height of from 400 to 500 feet and on some occasions to 1000 feet, forking and branching out in all directions in its ascent, and afterwards falling and pouring down in stupendous masses, with such violence as to cause a noise like heavy thunder, and making the sea for a considerable distance around one entire sheet of foam—altogether a sight not to be imagined.

Malta, Aug. 4.—Our reports respecting the volcano, since the foregoing, are very unsatisfactory; there can be but little doubt, however, that the Island continues to increase in size. A boat, with five or six officers, returned yesterday afternoon, and they assert that the island is at least 3 miles in circumference, and from 200 to 300 feet high. They landed upon it, and for ostentation sake, I suppose, hoisted the Union Flag. The other stories, as to the increasing dimensions of the place, are too vague to speak of.

We learn from the coast of Sicily that the town of Sciacca has been entirely abandoned by its inhabitants, the reported shocks, and trembling of the earth, leading to a belief that it will sink into the sea.