Eena. Particular account of the erup This water took its courfe down the weft fide of the mountain; and the channel which it cut for itself 6 is ftill vifible. The eruption of water from burning mountains is ftill much lefs frequent than that of lava or half vitrified folid matters, afhes, &c. though that tion of wa- of water, and even mixed with the fhells of marine ser in 1755- animals (though we are not told whether it was falt or not), has fometimes been obferved in other volcanoes, particularly Vefuvius. The eruption we now fpeak of happened in the month of February 1775. It was preceded by an exceedingly thick black fmoke iffuing from the crater, intermixed with flashes of fire. This fmoke gradually became thicker, and the bursts of flame more frequent. Earthquakes and fubterraneous thunder convulfed the mountain, and ftruck the inhabitants of the adjacent parts with the utmoft terror. On Sunday, the fecond of March, the mountain was feen to emit a huge column of smoke exceedingly denfe and black, with a dreadful noife in the bowels of the earth, accompanied alfo with violent flashes of lightning. From time to time there were loud cracks, like the explosions of cannon; the mountain appeared to fhake from its foundations; the air on that fide next Mafcali became very dark, and loud peals of thunder were heard. These seemed to iffue from two caverns, confiderably below the fummit, on the fide of the mountain, and were accompanied with violent blasts of wind like a tempelt. These terrible phenomena continued and increased; Etna feemed ready to fwallow up at once all those materials which it had been for fo many years difgorging, or rather about to fink at once into the bowels of the earth from whence it appeared to have been elevated. The profpect was far beyond any idea that can be given by defcription of this tremendous fcene. The inhabitants were alarmed beyond measure; the fight of the flames driven by the wind againft the fides of the mountain, the fhocks of the earthquake, and the fall of rocks, ftruck the imagination with a horror not to be conceived. During this dreadful commotion an immenfe torrent of water was emitted from the highest crater of the mountain. The whole fummit of Etna was at that time covered with a thick coating of fnow. Through this the boiling water directed its course eastward; and, in its paffage, met with frightful precipices. Over thefe it dafhed with the utmoft violence, adding its tremendous roaring to the complicated horrors of this awful scene. The fnow, melting inftantaneously as the boiling torrent advanced, increafed its deftructive power by augmenting its quantity, while the mischievous effects of the heat were fcarce diminished by reafon of the immenfe quantity of boiling liquid which continued to pour from the fummit of the mountain. This boiling torrent having dashed its awful cataracts from one chain of rocks to another, at length reached the cultivated plains, which it overflowed for a num ber of miles. Here it divided itself into feveral branches, forming as many deep and rapid rivers; which, after feveral other fubdivifions, discharged themselves into the fea. Though the mountain continued to discharge water in this manner only for half an hour, the ravages of it were very terrible. Not only thofe of common inundations, fuch as tearing up trees, hurrying along rocks and large ftones, took place here, but the ftill more dreadful effects of boiling water were felt. Every cultivated fpot was laid wafte, and every thing touched by it was deftroyed. Even those who were placed beyond the reach of the torrent, beheld with inexpreffible horror the deftruction occafioned by it; and though the alarming noises which had fo long iffued from the mountain now ceafed in a g.eat measure, the fhocks of earthquakes, and the violent fmoke which continued to iffue from the mountain, fhowed that the danger was not over. Two new openings were now obferved, and two torrents of lava began to make their way through the fnow. On the 7th of March a dreadful noife was again heard in the bowels of the mountain, and a new column of very thick and black fmoke began to iffue from it. A horrid explofion of fmall flones fucceeded; fome of which were carried as far as the hills of Mafcali, and great quantities of black fand to Messina, and even quite over the ftrait to Reggio in Calabria. On the fhifting of the wind to the northward this fand reached as far as the plains of Agofta. Two days after the mountain opened again, and a new torrent of lava was discharged; which, however, advanced very flowly towards the plain, moving only at the rate of a mile in a day. It continued to flow in this manner for fix days, when every thing appeared fo quiet, that the Canon Recupero fet out to view the changes which had taken place. Etna. That gentleman's defign was to trace the courfe of Course of the dreadful torrent of water above mentioned. This the torrent he was very eafily enabled to do by the ravages it had traced by Recupero. made; and, by following the channel it had cut all the way from the fea to the fummit of the volcano, he found that this immenfe quantity of water had iffued from the very bowels of the mountain. After iffuing from the crater, and increafing its stream by paffing through and melting the fnow which lay immediately below the fummit, it destroyed in an inftant a fine and extensive foreft of fir-trees. All of these were torn up by the violence of the current, though many were no less than 24 or 30 inches in diameter. He obferved that the great ftream had, in its defcent, divided itfelf into four branches; and these had again fubdivided themselves into feveral fmaller ones, eafily diftinguishable by the quantity of fand they had depofited. Afterwards reuniting their ftreams, they formed many islands, and rivers 900 feet in breadth, and of a depth which could not eafily be determined. Proceeding farther down, and ftill forcing its way among the beds of old lava, the channel of the waters was widened to 1500 feet, until it was again contracted in the valleys as before. Every object which flood in the way of this tremendous torrent was moved from its place. Enormous rocks were not only hurried down, but feveral of them moved to more elevated fituations than those they formerly occupied. Whole hills of lava had been removed and broken to pieces, and their fragments fcattered along the course of the river, and the valleys were filled up by vaft quantities of fand which the waters had depofited. Our author obferved, that even at the time he visited the mountain, about 10 years after the cruption, the whole fide of it ftill bore the marks of this deluge. On M. Houel's arrival at Jaci Catena, he inquired A 2 for Etna. 8 for the phyfician of the place; it being cuftomary for ftrangers to do fo who want to learn any thing concerning the curiofities of the country, as the phy. ficians there are generally those who have any pretenAccount of fions to literature. By this guide he was fhown a a remark well which they call Holy Water. There is a flight able well. of steps from the furface of the ground to that of the water. The well itself is 20 feet wide and 40 feet deep. It is fupplied by three different fprings, each of which is faid to have a peculiar taste. The phy fician informed our author, that one of them refembled milk in its tafte; another tasted like foap; and the third had the taste of common water: but our author, after tafting each of them, could not find any remarkable difference. Ancient baths difcovered. ΤΟ SL Venera. In his way to La Trizza, our outhor discovered fome ancient baths with ftoves. They had been very built here on account of a spring of warm fulphureous water, fuppofed to be excellent for the cure of cutaneous diforders; and for which purpose they are still Springs of made ufe of. They are now called the Springs of St Venera, of whom there is an image here. The fountain from which they flow is on a level with the furface of the ground. The water taftes very difagreeably of fulphur; and depofits a quantity of white impalpable powder, adhering to herbs and ftones, over which it paffes. This fubftance our author calls the cream of Julphur; though it is probably a felenitic fubftance formed by the decompofition of the fulphur, and the union of its acid with fome calcareous matter which held it in folution before. II Bafaltic rocks about Trizza. 12 Rocks of the Cyelops. From this place our author proceeded to the fea-port of Trizza,a fmall place, which with the adjacent country contains only about 300 inhabitants. Off the harbour of this place is a bafaltic rock, which feems to be only the remains of a much larger one deftroyed by the action of the air. All around are long ranges of bafaltes, the fpecies of which are very various. The rocks of the Cyclops ftand round the fmall harbour of La Trizza; and from this view we perceive a number of rocks of very different heights. All of them appear more or lefs above water, though fome are fo low that they cannot be feen without approaching very near; and this circumftance renders the harbour inacceffible to veffels of any confiderable burden, at the fame time that, by reafon of the depth of the fea, it is impoffible either to cut or unite them by a mole. The principal of these rocks is the extremity of an island, one half of which is compofed of lava placed on a bafaltic bafe; over this is a cruft of pozzolano, combined with a kind of white calcareous matter of a pretty hard and compact confiftence; and which, by the action of the air, affumes the appearance of knotty porous wood. On this fubject our author obferves, that "the rock, at fome former period, had become fo hard as to fplit, and the clefts were then filled up with a very hard matter which was porous on all fides like fcoria. That matter afterwards fplit alfo; lea ving large interfices, which in their turn have been filled up with a kind of compound yellow matter. The ifland appears to have been formerly inhabited, but is at prefent defiitute both of inhabitants and of culture, only the people of La Trizza feed a few goats upon it." To the fouthward of the harbour of La Trizza we Etna. Different obferve feveral fragments of bafaltes, both in the form of needles and in that of prifmatic columns of a very 13 regular form, and which may be easily feparated from one another. From the pofition in which these frag- ki ds of ments are difpofed, it appears that the mafs to which bafaltes. they belong must have fuffered fome very violent shock; otherwife fuch huge rocks could never have been broken, overturned, and scattered in directions fo very different from their original pofitions. In one of these ruins there are fome parts harder than the reft, which withstand the action of the air, while the intervening fpaces yield to it, and appear to be thus deftroyed. In fome others this effect is much more remarkable; becaufe the column happens to be much farther advanced towards a state of diffolution, the parts of which they contift being already disjoined; and in each of those which project we perceive a fiffure: which fhows that each of these parts may be divided into two. "They are indeed (fays our author) actually divided, and difplay a convexity iffuing from a concavity, like a pile of hats placed one upon another, when they are removed one by one; which is a very curious fingu larity." 14 Cafte d'Aci Continuing his journey ftill fouthward, our author Promonarrived at the promontory of the Caftel d'Aci. This tory of the is the moft fingularly curious of all that are in the defcribed. neighbourhood of Etna. The ancient mass of it is inclofed between two bodies of lava of a more modern origin. Thefe compofe the rocks on which Castel d'Aci is fituated, and which lie under the foil of the adjacent country. Beyond that city are the immenfe plains of the lower part of Etna. Thefe gradually rife till they reach the fummit, which is hid among the clouds. The promontory is almoft entirely compofed of bafaltes, the interstices of which are filled up with a yellowish matter, which feems to be a clay nearly of the fame nature with that formerly taken notice of in the island of La Trizza. It alfo covers the mafs of bafaltes, and has produced both the fuperior and anterior parts of the promontory. Here our author faw a number of women employed in washing webs of cloth in the fea; and takes notice of the dexterous method they have of lifting it up in folds, and packing it on their heads in bundles without receiving any affiftance. At the foot of this promontory are many curious bafaltic rocks. All along the eastern side of Mount Etna the foil is Greatquanbroken, but filled with beautiful varieties of bafaltes, faltes found tity of bahighly worthy of obfervation. Indeed, according to on Etna. our author's opinion, there is no volcano in Europe fo rich as Etna in bafaltes, nor where fo many curious figures of it are to be seen. tree. 16 Mr Houel having spent fome more time in vifiting Mr Houel's the bafaltic columns around the foot of the mountain, journey to the great fet out from Aci to vifit the famous chefnut-tree, men- chefnuttioned under the article TNA, and which is known in that country by the name of The chefnut-tree for an hundred horfes. In his way thither he paffed through the villages of Fortezza, Mangamo, St Leonardo, St Matteo, and La Macchia. The landscapes of each of thefe places by itself are extremely beautiful; but the country between them is a frightful wild defart, prefenting to the eye nothing but extenfive plains of black. lava, which at a distance have the appearance of vast quantities of pit-coal. The roads became rougher as they |