drul the Places <ivhere found. flj^ 



thoiigli it has been celebrated by fo many poets, it is at pre- 

 sent only a pond, which is fcarcely fufficient for watering 

 cattle. In the year 1538, on St. Michael's day, an earth- 

 quake, which had continued fome time, became fo violent 

 that the lake retired from its banks, and its bafon was almoft 

 entirely filled up ; as was the cafe, in part, with the lake 

 Avemus. The neighbouring fmall town of Tripergala was 

 fwallowed up with all its inhabitants and riches. It con- 

 tained a great many monks and nuns, who, it is faid, Jed 

 very irregular lives. " It might have been expefted," fays 

 Blainville, " that the gulph would have been fatisfied with 

 the nuns and monks, and that it would not have carried its 

 revenge further : but this was not the cafe ; as a monument 

 to pofterity, it threw up fuch a quantity of filth, that it pro- 

 duced a movuitain a mile in height and four miles in circum- 

 ference." 



The Venetian oyfters I have already mentioned. They 

 are fent to Vienna, and perhaps further ; and thofe who are 

 accuftomed to old oyfters are faid (no doubt ironically) to 

 find them much more pleafant than frefli ones when they 

 meet with them in other places *. 



For fome years paft oyfters have been brought to Hamburgh 

 from the following places, though from many of them their 

 arrival is accidental : — London; Havre; Schelling, an ifland 

 near the coaft of Weft Friefland ; Borkum, an ifland near 

 Groningen; Soltkamp, in the province of Groningen; Wan- 

 geroeg; Feverftiam; Amerum or Amroen, an ifland near 

 Rypen ; Schirmerkog, and Feburfon. With the laft place, 

 to which fliips, I believe, have gone only within thefe two 

 years, I am not acquainted. The one before, no doubt, 

 means the ifland of Schiermonigkoog, which lies near Frief- 

 land, to the caft of the ifland of Ameland. Wangeroeg is 



"* Becher, in his NariiioJ IFf/y^'cit, p. 201, juftly ridicules the propofal 

 of William Schroder, Ton of the then chancellor of God a, for flocking the 

 ponds in the gardens of Vienna with oyfter-brood : for oyfters require fait 

 water; and even new beds formed in the fea do not always fucceed. The 

 Sxicty for the Encouragem nt of the Arts at London has often offered 

 premiums on t'lls fubjcft. Sej Memoirs of Ai>rici(lture, by Doflie. Lon- 

 don 176^, Vol. I. p. 307. 



an 



