4. The eruption of Vesuvius, in the year 79,* overwhelmed the two famous cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii, by a shower of stones, cinders, ashes, sand, &c. and totally covered them many feet deep, as the people were sitting in the theatre. The former of these cities was situated about four miles from the crater, and the latter about six. By the violence of this eruption, ashes were carried over the Mediterranean sea into Africa, Egypt, and Syria; and at Rome they darkened the air on a sudden, so as to hide the face of the sun.‡ 5. In the year 1533, large pieces of rock were thrown to the distance of fifteen miles, by the volcano Cotopaxi in Peru.§ 6. On the 29th of September, 1535, previous to an eruption near Puzzoli, which formed a new mountain of three miles in circumference, and upwards of 1200 feet perpendicular height, the earth frequently shook, and the plain lying between the lake Averno, mount Barbaro, and the sea, was raised a little; at the same time the sea, which was near the plain, retired two hundred paces from the shore.|| 7. In the year 1538, a subterraneous fire burst open the earth near Puzzoli, and threw such a vast quantity of ashes and pumice stones, mixed with water, as covered the whole country, and thus formed a new mountain, not less than three miles in circumference, and near a quarter of a mile perpendicular height. Some of the ashes of this volcano reached the vale of Diana, and some parts of Calabria, which are more than one hundred and fifty miles from Puzzoli.¶ 8. In the year 1538, the famous town called St. Euphemia, in Calabria Ulterior, situated at the side of the bay under the jurisdiction of the knights of Pliny lost his life by this eruption, from too eager a curiosity in viewing the flames. This city was discovered in the year 1736, eighty feet below the surface of the earth; and some of the streets, &c. of Pompeii, have since been discovered. Burnet's Sacred History, page 85, vol. ii. Malta, was totally swallowed up, with all its inhabitants, and nothing appeared but a fetid lake in the place of it.* 9. A mountain in Java, not far from the town of Panacura, in the year 1586, was shattered to pieces by a violent eruption of glowing sulphur, (though it had never burnt before) whereby ten thousand people perished in the underland fields.t 10. In the year 1600, an earthquake happened at Arquepa in Peru, accompanied with an eruption of sand, ashes, &c. which continued during the space of twenty days, from a volcano breaking forth the ashes falling, in many places, above a yard thick, and in some places more than two, and where least, above a quarter of a yard deep, which buried the corn grounds of maize and wheat. The boughs of trees were broken, and the cattle died for want of pasture; for the sand and ashes, thus erupted, covered the fields ninety miles one way, and one hundred and twenty another way. During the eruption, mighty thunders were heard, and lightnings seen ninety miles round Arquepa; and it was so dark, whilst the showers of ashes and sand lasted, that the inhabitants were obliged to burn candles at mid-day.‡ 11. On the 16th of June, 1628, there was so terrible an earthquake in the island of St. Michael, one of the Azores, that the sea near it opened, and in one place, where it was one hundred and sixty fathoms deep, threw up an island; which, in fifteen days, was three leagues long, a league and a half broad, and 360 feet above the water.§ 12. In the year 1631, vast quantities of boiling water flowed from the crater of Vesuvius, previous to an eruption of fire; the violence of the flood swept away several towns and villages, and some thousands of inhabitants. Dr. Hooke's Post. page 306. Varenius' Geography, vol. i. page 150. Dr Hooke's Post. page 304. Sir W. Hamilton's Observation's on Vesuvius and Etna, page 159. ¶ 1bid. 13. In the year 1632, rocks were thrown to the distance of three miles from Vesuvius.* 14. In the year 1646, many of those vast mountains the Andest were quite swallowed up and lost.‡ 15. In the year 1692, a great part of Port Royal in Jamaica was sunk by an earthquake, and remains covered with water several fathoms deep; some mountains along the rivers were joined together, and a plantation was removed half a mile from the place where it formerly stood. 16. On the 11th of January, 1693, a great earthquake happened in Sicily, and chiefly about Catania; the violent shaking of the earth threatened the whole island with entire desolation. The earth opened in several places in very long clefts, some three or four inches broad, others like great gulfs. Not less than 59,969 persons were destroyed by the falling of houses in different parts of Sicily.|| 17. In the year 1699, seven hills were sunk by an earthquake in the island of Java, near the head of the great Batavian river, and nine more were also sunk near the Tangarang river. Between the Batavian and Tangarang rivers, the land was rent and divided asunder, with great clefts more than a foot wide.¶ 18. On the 20th of November, 1720, a subterraneous fire burst out of the sea near Tercera, one of the Azores, which threw up such a vast quantity of stones, &c. in the space of thirty days, as formed an island about two leagues in diameter, and nearly circular. Prodigious quantities of pumice stone, and half-broiled fish, were found floating on the sea for many leagues round the island.** 19. In the year 1746, Calloa, a considerable garrison town and sea port in Peru, containing 5000 inhabitants, was violently shaken by an earthquake on the 28th of * Baddam's Abridg. Phil. Trans. vol. ii. p. 417. †M. Condamine represents these mountains and the Apennines as chains of volcanoes. See his Tour through Italy, 1755. # Dr. Hooke's Post. p. 306. Lowthrop's Abridg. Phil. Trans. vol. ii. p. 417. Ibid. vol ii. p 408, 409. Ibid vol. ir p. 419. ** Eames' Abridg. Phil. Trans. vol. vi. part ii. p. 203. October; and the people had no sooner begun to recover from the terror occasioned by the dreadful convulsion, than the sea rolled in upon them in mountainous waves, and destroyed the whole town. The elevation of this extraordinary tide was such as conveyed ships of burden over the garrison walls, the towers, and the town. The town was razed to the ground, and so completely covered with sand, gravel, &c. that not a vestige of it remained.* 20. Previous to an eruption of Vesuvius, the earth trembles, and subterraneous explosions are heard; the sea likewise retires from the adjacent shore, till the mountain is burst open, then returns with impetuosity and overflows its usual boundary. These undulations of the sea are not peculiar to Vesuvius: the earthquake which destroyed Lisbon on the first of November, 1755, was preceded by a rumbling noise, which increased to such a degree as to equal the explosion of the loudest cannon. About an hour after these shocks, the sea was observed from the high grounds to come rushing towards the city like a torrent, though against wind and tide; it rose forty feet higher than was ever known, and suddenly subsided. At Rotterdam, the branches or chandeliers in a church were observed to oscillate like a pendulum; and, we are told, that it is no uncommon thing to see the surface of the earth undulate as the waves of the sea at the time of these dreadful convulsions of nature.† 21. The last eruption of Vesuvius happened in July, 1794, being the most violent and destructive of any mentioned in history, except those in 79 and 1631. The lava covered and totally destroyed 5000 acres of rich vineyards and cultivated lands; and overwhelmed the town of Torre-del-Greco: the inhabitants, amounting to 18000, fortunately escaped; and, the town is now rebuilding on the lava that covers their former habitations. By this eruption the top of the mountain fell in, * Osborne's Relation of Earthquakes. † See the Phil. Trans. respecting the earthquake on the first of November, 1755, vol. xlix. part 1. N and the mouth of Vesuvius is now little short of two miles in circumference. Earthquakes are generally supposed to be caused by nitrous and sulphureous vapours, inclosed in the bowels of the earth, which, by some accident take fire, where there is little or no vent. These vapours may take fire by fermentation, or by the accidental falling of rocks and stones in hollow places of the earth, and striking against each other. When the matters which form subterraneous fires ferment, heat, and inflame, the fire makes an effort on every side, and, if it does not find a natural vent, it raises the earth and forms a passage by throwing it up, producing a volcano. If the quantity of substances which take fire be not considerable, an earthquake may ensue without a volcano being formed. The air produced and rarefied by the subterraneous fire, may also find small vents by which it may escape, and in this case, there will only be a shock, without any eruption or volcano. Again, all inflammable substances, capable of explosion, produce by inflammation a great quantity of air and vapour; and such air will necessarily be in a state of very great rarefaction: when it is compressed in a small space, like that of a cavern, it will not shake the earth immediately above, but will search for passages in order to make its escape, and will proceed through the several interstices between the different strata, or through any channel or cavern which may afford it a passage. This subterraneous air or vapour will produce in its passage a noise and motion proportionable to its force and the resistance it meets with: these effects will continue till it find a vent, perhaps in the sea, or till it has diminished its force by expansion. Mr. Whitehurst imagines, that fire and water are the principal agents employed in these dreadful operations of nature; and that the undulations of the sea and the earth, and the oscillation of pendulous bodies, * An equal quantity of sulphur and the filings of iron (about 10 or 15 lb.) worked into a paste with water, and buried in the ground, will burst into a flame in eight or ten hours, and cause the earth round it to tremble. M. Dolomieu scems to be of the same opinion. |