226 Dr Daiibeny o« the Spring at Torre del Ammnziata. 



pine and cypress standing evidently in situ), seems to shew, that 

 this spot must have been covered over again by some later erup- 

 tion, though whether by the same which produced the bed of 

 lava, capping the summit of the cliff, we have no data for de- 

 termining. 



A discovery has, however, been lately made, which appears 

 to define, within certain limits, the date of the latter event. 



Near Bosco-tre-Case, a village which stands about two miles 

 to the north of Torre del Annunziata, on the slope of Vesuvius, 

 wasrviound in the course of last summer, only a few feet beneath 

 the soil, a bag of Roman gold coin, evidently almost fresh from 

 the mint, and bearing the date of a. d. 572, with the impression 

 of a Cross. 



One of these coins I have myself seen in the possession of Co- 

 lonel Robinson, to whom I am indebted for a knowledge of the 

 fact itself, and the date inscribed upon it would seem to indi- 

 cate, that it had been buried for concealment's sake by some in- 

 habitant of that province during the alarm excited by the Lom- 

 bard invasion. Perhaps, therefore, the second catastrophe may 

 be attributed to the eruption of Vesuvius in the year 472, 

 which is said by Procopius to have covered all Europe with 

 ashes, and to have spread alarm even at Constantinople, and 

 which, making due allowance for the exaggeration of that his- 

 torian, seems to have been little inferior, in point of magnitude, 

 to the celebrated one in the reign of Titus. 



It is remarkable, however, that an event which caused the 

 neighbourhood of Torre del Annunziata to be covered over to 

 the depth of more than thirty feet, should not have added sen- 

 sibly to the accumulation of volcanic materials about Pompeii. 



The thermal spring which has lately been discovered on the 

 spot alluded to, in consequence of borings made originally by 

 Colonel Robinson, in the hope of supplying the town of Torre 

 del Annunziata with drinkable water, possesses a temperature 

 of about 87 degrees of Fahrenheit. It was analyzed by Pro- 

 fessor Ricci of Naples, and appears from his account to abound 

 chiefly in the bicarbonates of soda, magnesia, potass, and lime, 

 together with sulphate and muriate of potass, muriate of soda, 

 and muriate of magnesia. 



It is chiefly remarkable for the large quantity of carbonic 



