'' Earthqtiake at Naples. 9! 



same fate : some persons and several seminarists perished. 

 The town ol:' Chieti suffered very httle : some houses only 

 were damaged. At Salerno the earthquake was strongly 

 felt; but it occasioned very little loss. At Finocella and 

 Mala di Barri, in Apulia, nearly the same scenes took place. 

 In the districts around Vesuvius the earthquake was less 

 felt than elsewhere ; the! air having found a way to escape 

 through the volcano. " 



'' Naples August 10. — Mount Vesuvius has lately made 

 such an eruption, that one similar to it has not been wit- 

 nessed for a long time : the lava ran do-wn in such quantity^ 

 and so rapidiv, from the summit of the mountain, that in 

 less than two hours it reached the sea. In its course it di- 

 vided itself into three parts, which ran between the Torre 

 del Greco and the Torre del Annonziata : on this account 

 it occasioned less damage than if it had fallen in one cur- 

 rent on these two towns. It is a lamentable spectacle to 

 see the vines, the corn-fields, and the houses swallowed up 

 in a sea of fire, and covered to the depth of tlu'ee toises with 

 iron ore ; for the lava which ran down on this -occasion had 

 absolutely that character. The queen, who was at Castel- 

 mare, was not able to return to Naples by land ; for the 

 road is covered with three causeways of lava, the least of 

 which is three hundred paces ; and it was also impossible 

 for her to eo to the theatre of St. Charles, to see the repre- 

 sentation given on her hiith-day. It is much to be feared 

 that this country will experience the fate of Herculaneuni 

 and Pompeii." 



Extract of another Lette)\ — " After the terrible earth- 

 quake of the 26th ult. wc began to resume a little security; 

 but subterranean noises being heard from Vesuvius, an 

 eruption of the volcano was apprehended, and the inhabi- 

 tants of Torre del Greco and I'Anuonziala removed from 

 their houses, and thought of providing for the safety ot 

 their persons and valuables. About a quarter past Iwo iu 

 the afternoon Vesuvius made an extraordinary eruption 

 through the same mouth which gave a passage to that iu 

 1794. The latter was even more considerable, having 

 thrown out a current of inflamed lava, which proceeded 

 with great rapidity as far as the plain, over a space of about 

 four miles, and then took its course towards the sea, whit:li 

 it reached in about nine hours. 



*' It was observed that from its origin this current divided 

 itself into two branches; one in tne direction of I'ortici, 

 which luckily then turned aside, and, vinlting itself to the 

 oilier, formed in the middle a kind of island of boilmg lava, 



which 



