No. Yl.^Disirict of the Ba^ of Baja. 79 



broke out at twenty-two hours Italian time, or an hour and a 

 half before sunset : the noise was tremendous, and the quanti- 

 ty of stones considerable ; this paroxysm, however, was of 

 short duration, and on the two following days the hill was 

 quiet, excepting the dismissal of a little smoke. On the next 

 day, Sunday the 6th October, several persons again ascended 

 about half the mountain, but being overtaken by another 

 eruption at the same hour as that of the fourth day, some of 

 them were stifled by the ashes, and others injured seriously 

 by the stones which fell. This eruption was accompanied 

 with water, with flames, and, as usual, electrical agencies seem 

 not to have been wanting, as observers have described light- 

 ning as one of its features. This concluded the paroxysms of 

 this remarkable explosion. Smoke continued to rise for 

 some time, and at length relapsing into the phase of quies- 

 cence, to use a modern term, sulphur began to be generated. 

 Such being a history of its formation, let us take a view of the 

 general features and present condition of this remarkable hill, 

 which appears to be fortunately preserved much in its original 

 state, unlike most of those volcanic productions resembhng it, 

 which having Ix^en raised from beneath the ocean, soon fell a 

 prey to the degrading influence of its waves. 



The Monte Nuovo is situated at If English miles W. N. W. 

 of the town of Pozzuoli, and its base extends to the very edge 

 of the shore of the Bay of Baja, where the sand is still ex- 

 tremely warm. Its height and dimensions have been extremely 

 variously stated, and, had we not now just data for founding 

 our decision, we might be rather at a loss from the mass of 

 conflicting opinions which must ever prevail in the judgment 

 of heights by the eye. Sir William Hamilton* has stated the 

 height at a quarter of a mile, and the circumference at three 

 miles, and in this extravagant estimate he has actually been 

 followed by one of our most popular lecturers in a late small 

 wort on Geology. -|- In older times, when precision was unat- 

 tainable, exaggeration was to be expected ; and accordingly, 

 we find it by one author called 1000 paces, J and by another 



* Campi Phlegraiy i. 49. Fol. Edit. 

 -|- Brande's Geology. 1829. 

 X Giacomo di '1 oledo. 



