102 



Muddy ihower 

 which extended 

 over feveral 

 league.. 



Its probable 

 nature. 



ON A SHOWER OF MUD. „ 



country has a tale or hiftory to relate, and the details by my 

 friend Cernazai, a good mineralogift of Udina, of a flimy rain 

 which actually fell there in the evening of the 6th of this 

 month, the wind having blown with violence from the eaft 

 for feveral days. The furface of the land which has been en- 

 tirely watered with this jflrange rain, appears to be from ten 

 to twelve leagues in diameter from the fea-fhore to the foot of 

 the Alps of Carnia. Here, my dear friend are the means of 

 eftabli Qiing a brick furnace in the higher regions of the at- 

 mofphere, by thofe who are already convinced that materials 

 are fufpended there, fufceptible of a fufion fimilar to that of 

 the interior of a volcano. I know not if the partifans of that 

 opinion which brings down the lavas from the moon, will be 

 able to derive any fupport from the mud which has jufl coated 

 the fields of Friuli ; but for my own part, I was at firft of 

 opinion, that the wind having been charged, in Sicily or near 

 Naples, with volcanic duft thrown up by a whirlwind, had 

 depoflted it at the foot of the mountains of Carnia, which 

 had obftru&ed the further progrefs of the clouds. But having 

 iince examined a fpecimen of the fediment in queftion, fent 

 to me by my friend at Udina, and which I forward to you 

 with this letter *, by a very powerful magnifier, I am con- 

 vinced that there is not the leail refemblance between this 

 argillaceous earth and the detritus thrown by volcanoes into the 

 upper regions of the atmofphere. It appears to me much 

 more probable that a hurricane, or perhaps a water-fpout had 

 pumped up the flimy water left by the large rivers wiien they 

 overfl w our richeft plains, and raifed it into thefc regions in 

 which the wind had acted upon it. It is in confequence of 

 fuch very, natural and common events, that worms, tadpoles, 

 and fmall fifties are frequently feen to fall from on high, with- 

 out any one dreaming of their proceeding from an aerial race 

 or from another globe. 



You, my dear and learned friend, may make what ufe you 

 think proper of this limple unlkilful explanation. 



* This earth is light, of the colour of brick«duft, and feems to, 

 be argillaceous. Note of J, C, Delametherie. 



Lelter 





