224' Dr Daubeny on the Spiing at Tone del Jjtnunziata. 



lower down the cliff, of an admixture of vegetable mould con- 

 taining stems of reeds similar to those now growing in the 

 neighbourhood. 



About a foot still lower are likewise to be seen the roots, and 

 part of the trunk, of a fir of considerable size, standing quite 

 upright in the soil, on the very spot in which it must have 

 grown. 



Intermixed with the earth found at this level, have been dis- 

 covered, as I understand, fragments of tiles, a piece of hewn 

 timber, in the possession of Mr John Auldjo, and other traces 

 of human art. 



The latter gentleman, I believe, is also in possession of a part 

 of a cypress, which, in an earlier" stage of the operations, was dis- 

 covered standing upright in the soil, at a somewhat higher level, 

 with the outer part carbonized, but the interior perfectly sound. 

 The circumference of this tree was seven feet, and the part left 

 standing by the workmen was four feet in height. Subsequent 

 operations have caused its removal. 



Here, on driving an horizontal gallery into the rock at a 

 level nearly ten feet below that of the first mentioned tree, the 

 workmen lately discovered vestiges of walls and buildings, toge- 

 ther with fragments of Roman pottery, traces of fresco paint- 

 ings, and a considerable quantity of cut marble. 



The excavations are still continued, under the superintend- 

 ance of Colonel Robinson, and a report of the discoveries will 

 no doubt be made in due time by competent persons. At pre- 

 sent I can only remark, that sufficient has been explored to 

 substantiate the existence, on this spot, of the remains, if not of 

 another town, at least of several buildings that had been over- 

 whelmed by one of the eruptions of Vesuvius. 



What the date of the catastrophe itself may have been, it 

 seems not difficult to determine. From their contiguity to Pom- 

 peii, which lay little more than two miles distant, the houses 

 would almost inevitably have been covered by the same shower 

 of volcanic materials, if they had been in existence at that time ; 

 and, as they are evidently Roman, no earlier date than this can 

 be assigned to their interment, as we know that Vesuvius slum- 

 bered during the whole period of Roman history till the reign 

 of Titus. 



