there are eleven springs of cold water, and thirty-five of hot and
mineral waters.
[42] By having remarked, that all the implements of stone brought by
Mess. Banks and Solander from the new-discovered islands in the
South-Seas, are evidently of such a nature as are only produced by
Volcanos; and as these gentlemen have assured me, that no other kind of
stone is to be met with in the islands; I am induced to think, that
these islands (at so great a distance from any continent) may have
likewise been pushed up from the bottom of the sea by like explosions.
[43] Any one, the least conversant in Volcanos, must be struck with the
numberless evident marks of them the whole road from the lake of Albano
to Radicofani, between Naples and Florence; and yet, though this soil
bears such fresh and undoubted marks of its origin, no history reaches
the date of any one eruption in these parts.
[44] May not the air in countries replete with sulphur be more
impregnated with electrical matter than the air of other soils? and may
not the sort of lightning, which is mentioned by several ancient authors
to have fallen in a serene day, and was considered as an omen, have
proceeded from such a cause?
Horace says, Ode xxxiv.
"--Namque Diespeter
"Igni corusco nubila dividens
"Plerumque per purum tonantes
"Egit equos volucremque currum."
"Non alias coelo ceciderunt plura sereno
"Fulgura----"
Virgil. Georgic. i.
"Aut cum terribili perculsus fulmine civis
"Luce serenanti vitalia lumina liquit."
Cic. i. de Divin. n. 18.
"--Sabinos petit aliquanto tristior, quod sacrificanti hostia
aufugerat: quodque tempestate serena tonuerat."
Sueton. _Tit._ cap. 10.
[45] This letter was not received by Dr. Maty in its present form: and
is rather the substance of an explanatory catalogue, which was sent to
that gentleman with sundry specimens of the different materials that
compose the soil described in the preceding letter; which catalogue
remains, with the specimens, in the Museum of the Royal Society, for the
inspection, and, I flatter myself, the satisfaction, of the curious in
natural history.
[46] See p. 103 of this collection.
[47] See Letter I. p. 18.
[48] Having heard the same remark with respect to the lava's of
Vesuvius, I determined, during an eruption of that Volcano, to watch the
progress of a current of lava, and I was soon enabled to comprehend this
seeming phaenomenon; though it is, I fear, very difficult to explain.
Certain it is, that the lava's, whilst in their most fluid state, follow
always the law of other fluids; but when at a great distance from their
source, and consequently incumbered with scoriae and cinders, the air
likewise having rendered their outward coat tough, they will sometimes
(as I have seen) be forced up a short ascent, the fresh matter pushing
forward that which went before it, and the exterior parts of the lava
acting always as conductors (or pipes, if I may be allowed the
expression), for the interior parts, that have retained their fluidity
by not having been exposed to the air.
[49] The flames Lord Winchelsea mentions, were certainly produced by the
lava having met with trees in the way; or perhaps his Lordship may have
mistaken the white smoak which constantly rises from a lava (and in the
night is tinged by the reflection of the red hot matter), for flame, of
which indeed it has greatly the appearance at a distance. I have
observed upon Mount Vesuvius, that, soon after a lava has borne down and
burned a tree, a bright flame issues from its surface; otherwise I have
never seen any flame attending an eruption.
THE END.
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Transcriber's Notes
This document was taken from hand-written letters in the eighteenth
century, and also contains quotes from other authors. As such, it's no
surprise that there are many spelling and punctuation irregularities.
Except where explicitly noted below, these were kept as is. Spelling
variants that were preserved include: "Abbate" and "Abate;"
"abovementioned" and "above-mentioned;" "AEnaria" and "Enaria;" "ancient"
and "antient" (and derivatives); "Astruni" and "Astroni;" "Averno" and
"Avernus;" "Giulio Cesare Bracini" and "Giulio Cesare Bruccini;"
"Castel-a-Mare," "Castel-a-mare," "Castel a Mare" and "Castle-a-Mare;"
"centre" and "center;" "colour" and "color" (and derivatives); "deer"
and "deers" (for the plural of "deer"); "enquiry" and "inquiry;"
"entirely" and "intirely;" "entituled" and "intituled;" "exteriour" and
"exterior;" "honour" and "honor;" "interiour" and "interior;" "lavas"
and "lava's" (for the plural of "lava"); "Mare-morto" and "Mare Morto;"
"mere" and "meer;" "Mon-Gibello," "Mongibello," "Mon Gibello," "Monte
Gibello" and "Mount Gibel;" "o'clock" and "a clock;" "Procida" and
"Procita;" "rain water" and "rain-water;" "smoke" and "smoak" (and
derivatives); "Solfaterra" and "Solfa terra;" "strata" and "stratas"
(for the plural of "stratum"); "Torre dell' Annunciata," "Torre dell'
Annunziata" and "Torre del Annunziata;" "Volcanos" and "Volcano's" (for
the plural of "Volcano"); "Volcano's" and "Volcanos" (for the possessive
of "Volcano").
Changed "that" to "than" on page 85: "on the top of Vesuvius than on
that of Etna."
Changed "thermomether" to "thermometer" on page 122: "Fahrenheit's
thermometer."
Inserted missing word "a" on page 129: "fell a great part of the night."
A small right-pointing hand appeared at the beginning of the last line
of the advertisement. It was replaced by two asterisks.
In the text version of this book, the oe-ligature character was replaced
by the separate characters, "oe."