THE FIEE. Y MUSEUM^ OR THE BUR yfXG MOUNT A INS : iv'n^ an Account of those wonderful Volcanoes " SO wW|l kiiown by tlie Name of VESUriGUS iind .ETNA. ) winch is ad(h (L a vci^M'emarkahle Trial con- tern ing a Man who was driven into the V L A }^l E S C) F S T R O M B O L I, A Volcano n ot far from SUSSEX rUESS, LEVVES : pniyTED AXD rUBLISlIED BY J. BAXTER, 1 SOS Trice iSirpcrice. THE FIERY MUSEUM, OR THE 'Burning e^ountain^; CONTAINING Authentic Accouuts ot those dreadful Eruptions whicb have so frequently broke out at MOUNTS VESUVIUS and JETNA, With a Circumstantial Narrative of their Eruptions in one of which, (at Vesuvius^ the TOWN OF OTTAIANO was nearly IRetiuceB to 30500 ; Viiili every particular relative to those great Volcanoes which have so astonished the surrounding Nations, and ihe World. % WILLIAM CURK. ^ttp^ep Pte00, !Letae0: PSIHT£D AND PUBLISHED BY J, BAXTSIt* 1808, DESCRIPTION' MOUNT VESUVIUS* iYlOUNT VESUVIUS a celebrated vdca- «o of Italy, is situated six miles from the cHy of Naples. This mountain has two tops ; one of which only goes by the name of Vesuvius, the other being now called Sonima ; but Sir William Hamilton is of opinion, thai the latter is what the ancients called Vesuvius. The perpendicular height of Vesuvius is only 3700 feet ; ihe ascent from the foot to the top is three Italian miles. One side of the moun- tain is well cultivated and fertile, producing great plenty of vines ; but the south and west sides are entirely covered with cinders and ashes ; while a sulphureous smoke constantly issues from the top, sometimes attended wiiii A 2 4 the most violent explosions of stones, the emi« «ion of great streams of lava, and all the other attendants of a most formidable volcano. The first of these eruptions recordea in history took place in the year 79 ; at which time the two cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were en- tirely buried under the stones and ashes thrown out. Incredible mischief was also done to the neighbouring country, and numbers of people lost their lives, among whom was Pliny the Elder, It is the opinion of the best judges, however, that this eruption was by no means the first that had ever haj>pened, The vejy streets of Aose cities which were at that time over whelm** ed are said to be partly paved with lava. Since that time 30 different eruptions have been re- corded, some of which have been extremely violent. In the year 1538, a mountain three miles in circumference and a quarter of a mile in perpendicular height, was thrown up in the course of one night. Ill the summer of J707> there happened an«» other dreadful eruption, attended with such a rumbling and bellowing of the mountain, as far exceeded the report of ^^c largest artilleryc 5 Having thrown up clouds of ashes into the air for stveral days and nii^hts, and a shower uf stones that killed both men and cattle, it be- gan to throw out a liquid torrent of bitumen (a fat glutinous earth) which resembled a gen« tie stream of fire, and cooling in its progress, became as hard as flint at the bottom, but more porous and spungy on the surface. After this, frequvnt flashes of fire, like lightning, proceed- ed fr.m its mouth, followed by loud claps of thunder; and such a thick cloud of ashes ho- vered over Naples, that the darkness was equal to that of midnigiit. Next day, by the shifting of the wind, the ashes were driven another way ; and the mountain having raged after this manner about fifteen days, the erupiion entirely ceased. A gentleman of the name of Berkley gives the following d( scriplion of an erupiion which occurred in the year 1717. On the 5th of June, the mountain was peretived to thiow a little out of the crater, and tlie same continued ihe day following. The 7th, in the evening, it began a hedious bellowing, which continued till noon the next day, causing the windows and even the Louses in Naples to shake. Froiri A 3 that time it voraited tast qtianties of melted matter to the south, which streamed down the side of the mountain like a poi boiling over. On the ICth^ ii roared and groaned most dread* fully; ot which one Cannot form a juster idea than by imaginilig a mixed sound, made up of the raging of a tempest^ the ihurmur of a trou- bled sea, and the roaring of thunder and artil- lery confused together. This induced Mr.- Berkley, with three or four more in company^ to visit the mountain ; and they arrived at the burning river about midnight, when the roar-* ing of the volcano was exceeding loud and horrible. There was a mixture of colours m the cloud over the cra-ter, a ruddy dismal light in the air 6ver the fiery torrent, and ashes continually showered upon their heads ; al^ which circumstances, augmented by the horror and silence of th6 night, made a most uncom- mon and surprising appearance* " Suppose," says the above gentleman, " a vast /orn nt of liqtiid fire rollliig along the side of a mountain, land with incredible lury bearing down vines^ olives, fig-trees, houiies, and every thing that stood in Its way.*' The largest stream seemed half a mile broad at least, and five miles longj 7 ind Mr. B. walked so far np the mountain by fhe side of this burning river, that he was obliged to retire with precipitation*^ th* sulphu- reous stream having snrprist'd him, and almost takon away his breath. They returned about three ill the murning, hearing constantly tho the murmur aud groaning of the mounrain, which occasionally burst into louder prals^ throwing up huge spouts c>f fire and burning stones, which m tiii^ir iall resendjUd the stars in our rockt^ts. Sometimes there appeared twa or three distinct columns of flame, amt soine- timt'S only a single one that seemed to fill the whole crater. It was judged thai the flames and fi< ry stones were ^hot more than a th' u- sand feet perpendicular above the surnmii of the volcano ; which continued raging in ihi^ manner, more or less, till the 18th, when ihe mountain remained perf Ihe mountain coritinued in a state of fer- mentation during the whole month of jui^\ Explosions and rumblini^ noises w re heard ; quaim ties of smoke were thrown up with great 9 violence, some limes with red hot stones, scon;^^^ and ashes ; and towards the eiKli of the months they increased to such a degree as to exhibit, in the night, the most beautiful fire* works tha(^ can be imagined. The volcano appeared most violently agitate4 ^n Thursday the 5th of August; and a whit© sulphureous smoke issued impetuously froRi its crater, one puff seeming to impel another ; so that a mass of them was soon accumulated^ to appearance, four times the height and siz^ of the volcano itself. These clouds of smoke were exceedingly white, so that the whole re-* serablcd an immense accumulation of bales qC the whitest cotton, in the midst of this very white smoke, va^t quantiries of siones scoriae, and ashes were thrown up to the height of 2000 feet; and a quantity of liquid lava, seem- ingly very hiavy, was lifted up just high enough to clear the rim of the cratt r,and take its. way down the sides of the mountaia. This lava having run for some hours, suddenly ceased, just betbre it had reached the culii- vated par s of the mountain, near four miles from the spot where it issued. The heat, all this day, was iiUpIprable ai the towns of $omina 10 and Ottamno ; and was sensibly felt at Palma and I auii, which are much farther o^. Pa d ashes ieli so thick on the two former, that the "air was dai keiu d, so that objects could not be disiinguished at the distance cf ten feet. Long filanKnts of vitriiied mattt r, like spun glass, utrre mixed and fell with these ashes ; several birds in cages were suffocated, and the leaves of the trtes in the neighbouihood of Somma were covered with white and very corrosive salt* On the 7th, about 12 at night, the fermen- tation of the niouutam stemed greatly to in- cnase. Several beautiful picturesque effects had been observed from the reflection of the deep red fire within the crater of Vesuvius, and which mounted high amongst those huge clouds on the top of it : when a summer storm, called in that country a Tropea, came on suddenly and blended its heavy watery clouds with the sulphureous and mineral ones, which were al- re.idy like so many other mountains piled up on the V p of tho volcano. At this moment a fountciin of fire was shot up to a great lieight, casting so bright a light, that the smallest ob- jects wert> cleaiiy perceived six miieo from 11 Vesuvius. The black stormy clouds, passing swiftly ove^r, and at times covering the whole or a part of the bright column of fire^ at other times clearing away and giving a full view of it, with the various tints produced, by its reverberated light, on .the »% hite clouds above in contrast with the pale flashes of forked light- ning that attended the tropea, formed such a scene as no power of art can express. One of his Sicilian Majesty's gamekeepers, who was out in the fields near Ottaiano whilst this storm was at its height, was surprized to find the drops of rain scald his face and hands ; a phe- nomenon probably occasioned by the clouds having acquired a great degree of heat in pass- ing through the above-mentioned column of fire. On the 8th, the mountain was quiet till to- wards six o'clock in the evening, when a great smoke began to gather over its crater ; and about an hour after a rumbling subterraneous noise was heard in the neighbourhood of the volcano ; the usual throws of red-hot stones, and scoriae, began and increased every instant. The crater, viewed through a telescope, seemed much enlarged by the violence of last night's •exploclonJi, rlie little moimtaki on the top "^vas emin l^ gonti About nine o'clock a most "violent report was heard at Portici and its *tifeighbourhood, which shook the houses to 'SUch a degree as made the inha-bitants run out 4nto the streets. Many windows were broken, and walls cracked by the concussion of the an* on this occasion, though the noise was but faintly heard at Naples. In an instant a foun* tarn of liquid transpaieat fire began to rise^ •and graduall}' increasing arrived at last at the amazing height of ten thousand feet and up- wards. Puffs of smoke, as black as can possi- bly be imagined, succeeded one another hasti- ly, and accompanied the red-hot, transparent, and liquid lava, interrupting its spkndid extensive curtain behind it ; in other part* of Ihe sky it was perfectly clear, :3 mul the stars bright. The fiery fountain, of such immense magnitude, on the dark ground just mentioned, made the finest contrast imagi- nable ; and the blaze of it reflected from the surfaf^e of the sea, which was at that time per- fectly smooth, added greatly to this sublime view. The lava, mixed with stones and scoriae, hav- iiig risen to the amazing height already men- tioned, was partly directed by the wind to- wards Ottaiano, and partly fiddling, still red- hot and liquid, upon the top of Vesuvius, co- vered its whole cone, part of that of the sum- mit of Somma, and ihe valley between them. The falling matter being nearly as inflamed and vivid as that which was contmually issuing fresh from the crater, formed with it one complete body of fire, which could not be less than two miles and a half in breadth, and of the extraor- dinary height above-mentioned, cast a heat to, the distance of at least six miles round. The brushwood on the mountain of Somma waS; soon in a blaze, and the flame of it being of a different colour from the deep red of the matter thrown out by the volcano, and from the sil- ' ,very blue of the electrical fire, still added tQ B 14 to the contrast of this most extraordinary scene. The black cloud, increasing greatly, once bent its way towards the city of Naples, and threatened it with speedy destructios; for it was charged with electrical fire; which kept constant- ly darting about in bright zig zag lines. This fire, however, rarely quitted the cloud, but usually returned to the great column of fire whence it proceeded ; though once or twice it was seen to fall on the top of Somma, and set fire to some dry grass and bushes. Fortunately the wind carried back the cloud just as it reached the city, and had begun to occasion great alarm. The column of fire, however, still continued, and diffused such a strong light, that the most minute objects could be discerned at the distance of ten miles or hiore from the mountarn. A gentleman informed us, that at Sorrento, which is twelve miles distant from Vesuvius, he read the title-page of a book by that volcanic light. All this time the miserable inhabitants of Ottaiano were involved in the utmost distress and danger by the showers of stones which fell upon thera, and which, had the eruption con» 15 tmued for a longer time, would most certainly have reduced their town to the «arne situation with Herculant^um and Pompeii. The moun- tain of S(imma, at the foot of which the toivn of Ottaiano is situated, hides \^e&uvius from the view of its inhabitants ; so that till the erup- tion became considerable it was not visible to them. On Sunday night, when the noise in- creased, and the fire began to appear above thje mountain of Somma, many of tiie inhabitants flew to the churches, and others were preparing to q,uit the town, when a sudden and violeivt report was h^ard j soon after which they found tkcmselves invo^v-ed in a thick cloud of smoke, and ashes : a horrid clashing noise was heard in the air, and presently fell a vast shower of stones and large pieces of scoriae, some of which were of the diameter of seven or eight feet, which must have weighed more than a hundred pounds, before they were broken, as some of thei fragments w hich was found in the streets still weighed upwards of 60 pounds. When these large vitrified masses either struck againsjL one another in the air, or fell on the ground, they broke in many pieces, and covered a larg^ space of ground with vivid sparks of fire» which 16 communicated their heat to i very thing that was combustible. These masses were formed of the liquid lava; the exterior parts of which were become black and porous by cooling in their fall through such a vast space ; whilst the interior parts, less exposed retained an extreme heat and were perfectly red. In an instant the town and country about it was on fire in many parts, for there were several straw huts in the vineyards, which had been erected for the watchmen of the grapes ; all of which were burnt. A great magazine of wood in ti e heart of the town was all in a blaze ; and had there been much wind, the flames must have spread universally, and all the inhabitants would have bt-cn burnt in their houses ; for i^t was impossible for them to stir out. Some, who attempted it with pillows, tables, chairs, the tops of wine cabks, SiC, on their heads were either knocked down or soon di:ivcn back to their close quarters under arches and in the Cellars of their houses. INIany. were wounded-, but only two persons died of their wounds. To add to the horror of the scene, incessant volcanic lightning was whisking about the black cloud that surrounded them, and the sulpha- 17 reous smell and heat would scarcely allow them to draw their breath. In this dreadful situation they remained about twenty-five mi- nutes, when the volcanic storm ceased all at once, and Vesuvius remained sullen and silent. Some time after the eruption had ceased, the air was greatly impregnated with elec- trical matter. The Duke of Cottqfiano having held a Leyden bottle armed with a pointed wire, out at his window .at Naples, it soon became considerably charged. But whilst the erup- tion was in force, ils appearance was too alarming to allow one to think of such experi- ments. The Abbe Cagliani says, that bis sis- ter, a nun in a convent of Manfredoma, had written to enquire after him, supposing th/it Naples must have been destroyed, wdicn-they, at so great a distance, had been alarmed by a shower of ashes whi<:h fell on the city at eleven o'clock at night, so much as to open ell the churches and go to prayers. As the great eruption happened at nine o'cbek, tlufse ashes must have travelled an hundred ii^les the space of two hours. Nothing could be moiic dismal then the ap- pearance of iQuaiano after tlifis e»uf>tion. Tbe b3 18' liouses were unroofed, half buried under the black scoriae and ashes ; all the windows to- wards the mountain were broken, and some of the houses themselves burnt ; the streets choked up with ashes, in some narrow places not less than four feet thick ; and a few of the inhabitants who had just returned were em- ployed in clearing them away and piling thom up in hillocks, to get at their ruined houses. The palace of the prince of»Ottaiano is situated On an eminence above the town, and nearer the jnountain. The steps leading up to it were deeply covered with volcanic matter ; the roof was totally destroyed, and the windows broken, but the house itself, being strongly built, had not suffered much. An incredible number of fragments of lava were thrown out during the eruption, some of which were of immense magnitude. The largest was 108 feet in circumference and 17 in height. This was thrown at least a quarter of a mile clear of the mouth of the volcano. Another, 66 feet in circumference and i 9 in height, being nearly of a spherical figure, was thrown out at the same time, and lay near the former. This last had the marks of being 19 roundod, r.ny almost polished, by continual rolliiig ill torreiits or on the sea-sborc. A third fragment was thrown into the vaKey be- tween Vesuvius and the Hrrmitage, measuring 16 feet in heiL;bt, and 9'2 in circumferencp. An eruption look place in the month of No- vember, 1 784, and continued for some time, but without bv ir.g accompanied with any ex- traordinary circuinstnnce. In the summer of 179'^, another dreadful- eruption took place at Vesuvius, which de- stroyed many of the adjacent villages, and was attended by many surprizing phenomena. It^ was preceded by a powerful sliock of an earlh-^ quake, which extended over the whole of the Campagua Felice, and was plainly felt at the (Hstance af forty miles. Sir William Hamilton, who has justly been styled the natural historian of Vesuvius, ^ives lis the following account of this eruption : — ' On Sunday, the 15th of June, another shock was felt at Naples, but did not appear* quite so violent as that of the 12th, nor did' it continue so long: at the same moment, a fountain of bright fire, attended with very black smoke and a loud report, issued- 20 / from the middle of the cone of Vesuvius. Soon aftt r, a similar one broke out at some distance lower down ; and then it appeared as if the lava had taken its course directly up the steep cone of the volcano. Fresh fountains quickly succeeded, and all in a direct line, flowing toward the towns of Resina and Torre del Greco, It is impossible that any descrip- tion can give an adequate idea of this fiery scene, or of the hori id noises that attended this operation of nature. It was a mixture of the loudest thunder with incessant reports, like those from heavy artillery, accompanied by a Continued hollow murmur, like the roaring of the ocean during a violent storm ; and added to these was another blowing noise, like that of a large flight of sky-rockets. The frequent fall- ing of the huge stones and scoriae, which were thrown up to an incredible height, and one o€ which measured 35 feet in circumference, conftributed to the concussion of the earth and air, which 4(ept all the houses in Naples in a- tremor for several houjs, every door and win- dow shaking, and the bells ringing incessantly. This was an awful moment ! The sky, from a blight full moon aad star light began to be ob- 21 scured ; the moon gradually seemed to sufftr an eclipse, and was soon lost in obscurity; and the prayers and lamentations of a nume- rous populace parading the streets, added like- wise to the general horror. On the l6th, the lava broke out on the side of the mountain, and ran with such velo- city through a wood that it destroyed the whole of it, and overwhelmed and burnt the greatest part of the town of Torre del Greco. It ran but slowly after it had reached the sea, and on the morning of the 17th, its course t\'as stopped, excepting that at times a small rivulet of liquid fire issued from under the smoking scoriae into the sea, it being red-hot under that surface. The sea-water was boiling as in a caldron, where it washed the foot of a new-fornved promontory. The thick clouds clearing away, on the 18th*, from the summit rf Vesuvius, it was discovered that a great part of its crater had fallen in, and that the ashes which before were as fine ^s Spanish snuff, were mm so hard that it was with difficulty ihey could force their pasp sage. One cloud h( aping upon another, Sv em- ed to threaten Naples with immediate destruc-- 22 tion, bending over the city, and appearing much too ponderoub to renmia long suspcndied in ili45 air. The storms of thunder and lightning occasi- onally attinded with hravy falis of rain an^i abhcs, causing the most deslruclive torrents of water and glutinous mud, njixcd with huge stones, and trees torn up hy tli( roots, continued to afflict the inhabitants on both sides of the volcaiao, untii the 7ih of July, when the last torrent destroyed many hundred acres of culr tivated land between the towns of Torre del Greco an^i Toa re del Annunziata. The horrid chasms from tlsuj spot whcr« the eruption look place in a straighi line for neaily two miles toward tlie sea, cannot be imagined. They formed valleys more than two hundred feet deep, and from half a mile to a mile wide ; and where the fountains of fiery matter existed during the eruption are little mountains with deep craters. Ten thousand men in as many years could not, surely, make such an altera^ tion on the face of Vesuvius, as has been made by nature in the spac e of a few hours. The inhabitants are far from being alarmed at *his mountain's vernal eruptions when they 23 are not violent ; and the air is so far from bring rendered unhealfliy, that Barra, a village at the foot of Vesuvius, near the sea, is remarka- ble for its healthfulness. The lava, or liquid matter, on its cooling, forms solid masses, surpassing in hardness even that of marble ; whence tables, chimney-pieces, and even snuff boxes are made of it. With this matter the cities of Naples and Rome are paved, as are also a great part of the ancient Roman highways. DESCRIPTION OF !MoUNT JLTNA, in the Ishnd of Sicily, apprars to have been well known to the an- cjents, on account of its fiery eruptions ; for Pindar spcciks of it as a volcano, and Plat© was invited by Dionysius. the younger, to ex- amine the state ot the mountain after the sixth eruption. It threw out flames and lava about a hundred times between that time and the bat- tle of Pharsalia, and was remarkably furious while Sextus Pompeius was adding the* hor- rors of a sanguinary war to its terrific devasta- tion. Charlemagne is said to have been at Catania during one of its erupti ms ; and since his reign we find fifteen more recorded. 25 As to the dimensions of Mount ^tna, it is extremely difficult to extract any thing consis- tent oven from the accounts of modem and truly respectable travellers. Pindar, who flourished about four hun.^red and thirly-five years be- fore the Christian era, calls it the Pillar of Heaven,'' on account of its extraordniary height; and all the moderns agn e that it is extremely high and large, but they ditfer ex-- ce^sively in their descriptions ; some making it eight or twelve miles high, and a hundred and eighty miles round, while others reduce it to about two miles in height, and somewhat less than ninety miles in circtimference. On these different relations being investigated, it was the opinion of many that the true di- mensions of the mountain have not yet been -accurately ascertained. Concerning the general appearance and pro- ducts of JEtna, authors ar better agreed ; and the journey from Catania to its summit has been recently described by three ingenious travellers — D'Orville, Mr. Brydone, and Sir William Hamilton ; all of whom affirrp, that this mountain affords an epitome of the tiifferent climates throughout the world, To' c £6 wards the base it is extremely hot ; farther up more temperate ; and grows gradually more cold, till at length the traveller perceives that its head is enveloped in a mantle of eternal snow. The top of Mount JEim, being above the common region of vapours, the prospects from thence are peculiarly interesting, and the hea- vens appear to possess an extraordinary splen- dor. Mr, Brydone and his companions ob- served as they ascended at night, that the number of stars seemed to be greatly augment- ed ; that each of them sparkled with unusual brilliance; and that the whiteness of the milky-way resembled a pure flame shooting across the skies. To have a cle^r and ample prospect from this mountain, it is necessary to ascend before sun-rise, as the vapours raised by the sun in the day-time tend to obscure the circumjacent scenery. Here Sir William Ha- milton and Mr. Brydone had a delightful view of Calabria, in Italy, with the sea beyond it; the Lipari islands, and Stromboli, a volcano at seventy miles distance, seemed to be just under their feet ; the island ot Sicily, with its Kivers, towns, and harbours, appeared as dis^ 27 tinct as if delineated on a map ; and the pyra^ midal shadow of the mountain reached eniirtl/ across the island and far into the sea on the other side, iorming a visible tract in the air, which is gradually shortened as the &un libesf above tae horizon. JEtn'd IS divided into three regions— the Re- gione Cuita, or cultivated ; the Sylvosa, or woody ; and the Deserta, or desart region ; all of which are plainly distinguished from the summit* The Regione Culta is much broader than the rest, and extends on all sides from the foot of the mountain, being bounded by the sea on the south and south-east, and on the other sides by the rivers Semetus and Alcantara. Here terrible devastations are sometimes com- mitted by the eruptions, and the whole region abounds with little conical mountains. The Re* gione Sylvosa, fornis a circle of beautiful green surrounding the mountain on every side, and va- riegated, like the former^ by many mountains of a conical form thrown up by th e eruption which burst out of the sides of the volcano, Mr. Hamilton counted forty-four on the Catania side, each having its crater, and being prettily feathered with trees which seem to have ac* c Z 28 quired a wonderful degree of fertility. The Reizione Deserta, is marked out by a circle of snow and ice, vvhich extends on all sides to the distance of eight miles, beginning at the foot of the crater. In the middle of the snowy region stands the great mouth of the volcano, vvhich Sir William Hamilton describes as a little mountJiin abuut a quarter ofa- mile perpendicular, and situated in the centre of a gently-inclining plain of about nine miles in circumference. In the mid- dle of this little mountain is a large hollow, t; e inside of vvhich is incrusted vviib salts and sulphur of different colours. From many parts of ihis apt rture issue volumes of sulphureous smoke, which being heavier than the circum- ambient air, roil down the side of the moun- tain, till coming to a more dense atmosphere, it shoots off horizontally, and forms a tract in the air according to the direction of the wind-. In the midst of this funnel is the terrific and unfathomable gulph, whence continually issue terrible and confused noises, which, during an eruption, may be heard at a v( ry grtat dis^ tance. Sir VViIliatn Hamilton and Mr. Bry* done found the crater too hot to admit of their S9 descending into it ; but M. D'Orville, and his fellow traveller, having fastened themselves with ropes which some me n held at a distance^ descended as near as possible to the brink of the gulph ; where they saw distinctly a conical mass of matter, which rose to the height of sixty feet, and seemed t^^ be about six hundred feet in circumference toward the base. Whilst they were viewing this substance, the internal roarings augmented, and the mountain begaa to send forth smoke and ashes, but after a mo- iuentary dilation the volcano resumed its for* mer tranquillity. About a mile below the foot of the great crater, are the ruins of an ancient structure, called 11 Torre del Filosofo, which some ima- gine to have been built by the philosopher Em* pedocles, and others suppose to have been a temple of Vulcan. These ruins are of brick, and seem to have be^n ornamented v. ith mar- ble. The woody region, particularly on the east side, abounds with large chesnut-trees, one of which has been called, from its extraordinary size, Castagno de Cento Cavalli, or the ches- iiut-treeof a hundred horse. Mrt Brydone was c 3 30 much (Hsappointed at the sight of this free, as he foufid it to be only a bush of five large ones growing together; but his guides assured hina that all these were once united in one stem ^ and Signior Rccupero asserted, that having caused some peasants to dig round this hush of trees, he had found all the stems united un- der ground in one root. The space of ground occupied by these five trees measured two hundred and four feet in circumfereiice. An- other of these trees, called the Castaga de Galia, rises from one solid stem to a considerable height, and its circumference at a small dis^ tance from the ground is seventy-six feet ; and Ma^sa, one of the most respectable Sicilian authors, asserts, that he has seen solid oaks there upwards of forty feet round. Among the many eruptions of this volcano, the one in the year 1669, deserves to be re- corded. In that year tfee summit was observed to send forth great quantities of smoke and flame ; the top had fallen in, so that the moun- tain was much lowered ; tlie islands of Vulcan and Stromboli, two volcanoes to the westward of Sicily, were observed to ragf more than usual. ~- Eighteen days before the eruption the 31 sky was very thick and dark, with thunder, lightning, frequent concussions of the earth, and dreadful subterraneous bellowings. On ihe nth of March, sometime before the lava got vent, a rent was opt ned in the mountain twelve miles in length, into which, wheii stones were thrown down, they could not be heard to strike th bottom. Burning rocks, 6o palms (15 of our feet) in length, were thtowu to the dis- tance of a mile ; otLers of a lesser size wtre carried tliree miles off; the internal noises of the mountain were exceedingly dreadful, and the thunder and lightning from the smoke scarce less terrible then they. When the lava got vent, it burst out 20 miles from the crater, and sprung up into the air to a considerable height. Here it formed a mountain of stones and ashes,not less than half a miic perpendi- cular in height, and three miles in circumfe- rence For 54 days neither sun nor stars liad appeared: hut soon afttr the lava got vent, the mountain became ver) quiet. The terrible effects of this fiery stream may be imaginf^d from its amazing extent ; being no less than fourteen miles long and in many places six ia breadth. In its course it destroyed the haOi- S2 tafions of 30,000 persons ; and meeting with a lake four miles in compass, it not only filled it up, though several fathom deep, but made a mountain in the place ot it. Having reached Catania, it destroyed part of its walls, and ran for a considerable way into the sea, forming a safe and beautiful harbour; which, however, was soon filled up by a fresh torrent of the same inflamed matter. It is not easy fur those who have never been present at those terrible operations of natun , to represent to their minds, the horror which must attend the breaking forth of the lava ; for though the giving vent to this burning matter generally produces a cassation of the violent efforts of the internal tire, yet at the very in. stant of its explosion scarce any thing can be conceived so dreadful. A description of the lava that issued from this volcano in the year I669 was sent to the court of England by Lord Wincheisea, who at that time happened 10 be at Catania in his way home from an embassy at Constantinople. His account is not now to be procured ; but Mr> Hamilton found a copy in Sicily, and hath given an extract, part of which f^sllows. S3 " When it was night, I went upon two towers in divers places ; and I could plainly sec at ten miles distance, as we judged, the fire begin to run fjum the mountain in a direct line, the flatne to ascend as high and as big as one of the greatest steeples in your Majesty's domi- nions, and to throw up great stones into the air; 1 could discern the river of fire to de- scend the mountain of a fiery or red colour, and stone s of a paler red to swim thereon, and to be some as big as an ordinary table. We could see this fire to move in several other places, and all the country covered with fire, ascending wiih great flames in many places, smoking like to a violent furnace of iron melted, making a noist; vvith the great pieces that fell, especially those that fell into the sea. A cavalier of Malta, who lives there, and attended me, told me, that the river was as liquid, where it issues out of the mountain, as water, and came out like a torrent with great violence, and is five or six fathom deep, and as broad, and that no stones sink thertir." From the 1st to the 10th of July, in the year 1787> there were sians of another trupiiun^ On the 11th, altera little caiia, there was a 34 subterraneous noise, like the sound of a dnitft in a close place, and it was followed by a co- pious burst of black smoke. It was then calrfi lill the 15th, when the same prognostics re- curred. On the 17th, the subterranecnis noise was heard again ; the smoke was more abun«- dant, slight shocks of an earthquake followed, iind the lava flowed from behind one of the two little mountains which forms the double head of iEtna. On the 18th, while the spectator* weie in anxious exp^ ctaiion of a more severe eruption, all was quiet, and continued so more than twelve hours: soon after they perceivfMi some new shocks, accompanied with much noise ; and the mountain threw <;ut a thick smoke, which, as the wind was westerly. Boon darkened the eastern horizon : two hours afterwards a shower of fine black-brilliant sand descended : on the east side it was a storm of stones ; and, at the foot of the mountain, a de. inge of flashes of fire, of scoria and lava, These apearances continued the whole day t at the close of which the scene was changed. A number of conical flames rose from the vol- cano ; one on the north, another on thesouth^ were very conspicuous, and rose and fell alter* 35 ftately. At three in the morning the mountain appeared cleft, and the summit seemed a burn- ing mafes. The cones of light which arose from the crater were of an immense extent, particu- larly the tw'> just mentioni^d. The two heads stemed to be cut away : and at their separation was a cone of flame, seeminglycomposed of many lesser cones The flame seemed of the height of the mountain placed on the mountain ; so that it w;is probably two miles high, on a base ©fa mile and a half in diameter. This cone was still covered, ^yith a very thick smoke, in which there appeared very brilliaat flash s of lightning, a phenomenon which Mtna. ha :i not tefure afforded. At times, sounds iike those from the explosion of a large cannon were heard seemingly q,t a less distance than the mountain. From the cone, as from a foun- tain, a jet of many flaming volcanic matters were thrown, which were carried the dis- tance of six or seven miles : from the base of the cone a thick smoke arose, which, for a mo- ment, obscured apart of the flame, at the time when the rivers of lava broke forth. This beautiful appearance continued thn e quarters of an Uo\xi\ It began the next night with 35 more for^e; but continued only half an liour* In the intervals, however, i^ltna continncd to throw out flames, sm(*ke, stones ignited, and showers of sand. From the 20th to the 22d, the appearances eradually ceased. The stream of lava was cariied towards Bronte and the plain of La go. After the eruption, the top of the mountain on the westrrn side was found covered with har'iened lava, scoria and stones. The travel- lers were annoyed by smoke, by showers of sand, mep^iitic vapours, and excessive heat, 1 hese are the most remarkable circum- stances that have been collected concerning this mountain, which, it is hoped, will give the Header an adequate idea of this most extraordir nary and wonderful volcano. 37 The foUawIng Partkuhf^Sy if is presumedy will • be found wort /it/ of a Place in the Accounts of these wonderful Burning Mount ainsy as tlie subject relates to Volcanoes in general, all the volcanoes recorded in history, Stronibolf, soemb to be the only one that burns without ceasing ; it is seventy or eighty miles distant from Mina,. The burning moun- tains already described often lie quiet for many months, even years without the least appear- ance of fii e ; but Stromboli is ever at work, and has for ages past been looked upon by many as the greatest wonder in nature. A most siiigu- lar occurrence was met with by about thirty ses^men at this mountain, in the year l6S7^ Avhich was the cause of a trial in the Court of King's Bench. — The following is an account of it : — MUS. BOOTY, V. CAPT. BARN A BY. This was an action brought by the Plaintiff, to recover the sum of lOOOl. as damages, for the scandal of Defendants assertion, thitt h© had seen hir deceui-ed husband, a receiver, driven into lieil ! 4 38 When this extraordinary trial commenced, several witnesses were brought forward who proved the words lo have been spoken by Cap- tain Barnaby, and afterwards by his wife. The defence set up was, that the Defendant had spoken no more than had been seen by a num- ber of persons as well as himself; to prove which, the Journal Books of three different ships were produced in court, and the following passage recorded in each, submitted, amongst others, to the Court and Jury, by the Defend- ants counsel. " Friday, I\Iay 15. — We had the observation of Mr. Booty this day : Capt. Barnaby, Capt, Bristovv, Capt. Brown, I, and INIr, Bail, mer- chant, went on shore in Captain Barnaby 5 boat to shoot rabbits upon Stromboli : and when we hact done, we called all our men together by us, and about half an hour and fourteen minutes after three in the afternoon, to our great surprize, we all of us saw two men come running towards us with such swiftness, that no living man could run half so fast as they did run ; when all of us heard Captain Barna- by 3ay, ' Lord bless me, the foremost is old Booty, my next door neighbour ; but he said be did not know the other that ran behind ; he 59 was in black clothes, and the foremost was m grey; then Captain Birnaby desired all of us to take an account of the time, and put it down in our pocket books, and when we got on board we wrote it in our journals, for we none of us ever saw or heard the like before ; Captain Barnaby said, he was certain it was old Booty whom he saw running over Stromboli, and into the flames of Hell." After they arrived in England, and weve lying at Gravesend, Captain Barnaby's wife came on board the 6th of October, at which trme Captain Barnaby and Captain Brown, sent for Captain Bnstow, nnd Mr. Ball, mer- chant to congratulate with them, and, after some discouise. Captain Barnaby s wife started up and said, My dear, I will tell you some news, old Booty is dead he directly made answer; " We all of us saw him run into HelL" Soon afterwards, Captain Barnaby's wife told a gentleman of his acquaintance in Lon- don, what her husband had said ; who ac- quainted Mrs. Booty, with the whnle affair ; whereupon Mrs. Booty arrested Captain Bar- naby in a thousand pounds action, for what he had said of her husband; Captain Barnaby gave bail to it, and it came to trial in the 40 Court of Kincy's Bench* Mr. Booty's wearing apparel was br<»ught into Court, and the sex* ton of the parish, and tht people that wert- with him when he died. The journals were then sworn to, and the time when the two men were seen, and Booty died, coincided within about two minuii's ; ten of the seamen swore to the buttons on his coat, and that they were covered with the same S(>rt of cloth of which his coat was made : and so it proved. The jury asked Mr. Spinks (whose hand writing appeared in the journal that was read) if he knew Mr. Booty ? He answered*, " I never saw him till, he - ran by me on the burning mountains. The judge immediati ly made use of the following remarkable expressions: — *^ Lord have mercy upon me ! and grant that 1 may never see what- you liave st^en — one, two, or three may be mistaken, but thirty usr ver can be rmstaken." The widow lost her cause. TIIK END. SVSSEjr T»*S5, LtWES : BAXlliR, rilINTER» -10 <^ I