172 Prof. FeiTara's Account of the Earthquakes 



cavities, show a great fermentation in the deep caverns under 

 the sea, and to wliich little is wanting to renew its ancient 

 conflagrations. Off the northern coast of Sicily is situated a 

 chain of islands extending from east to west and terminating 

 with Ustica, at the distance of 42 miles from the western shore 

 of Palermo. All of these islands, sons of volcanic fire, which 

 has raised them from under the depths of the sea, bear the 

 impressions of the terrible element ; and some are still burn- 

 ing, and serve as outlets to the subterranean furnaces. Vul- 

 cano, 22 miles fi'om Cape Milazzo, burns, roars, diunders, and 

 belches out continually immense columns of smoke and flame. 

 Stromboli ceases not a moment in vomiting forth smoke, flame, 

 and streams of vapour, which, rushing from the inflamed mouth, 

 produce a horrible roaring, spreading terror among all the 

 Eolian islands and the adjacent coasts of Sicily and Calabria. 

 Lipari still preserves in its baths a part of that heat which 

 one day fused into glass the matter of which it is formed. The 

 action of these islands has almost always troubled Sicily. Early 

 one morning, in February 1444, enormous masses of heated 

 matter, amidst huge volumes of smoke and flame, were raised 

 from the sunnnit of Vulcano, and hurled about the sea to the 

 distance of six miles, while strong shocks agitated this island 

 and Sicily*. Other flaming masses were thrown out on the 

 24th of August 1631, which driven by the wind passed over 

 Naso in Sicily, directly in front of Vulcano; and on the next 

 day this unhappy city, by the violence of the convulsions of 

 the earth, was entirely laid in ruins. Many persons were in- 

 jured. A cleft was made in the soil, from which a very strong 

 odour of sulphur issued f. On the 22d of April 1717, at dawn 

 of day, a deep subterranean murmur was heard, accompanied 

 by a severe earthquake, the shocks of which were felt all along 

 the northern shore even to Messina. But the places which 

 suffered most were those nearly over against Vulcano, as Mi- 

 lazzo, PozzodigottoCastrorealo, 26 miles distant from it. The 

 last city was entirely ruined J. Shocks were renewed in the 

 same places in 1732; and with much greater force in 1736, 

 when the whole northern coast was violently affected, parti- 

 cularly Palermo, Ciminna, which was much damaged, and 

 Naso, which suffered still more§. On the 4th of May 1739, 

 about 5 o'clock P.M. the inhabitants of St. Marco, a town at the 

 back of Naso, saw thrown from the mouth of Vulcano innnense 

 clouds of smoke and burning matter, which, driven by the 

 wind, came roaring and thundering over Sicily, letting fall 

 perpendicularly into the sea and on the neighbouring shore 



* Faz. dec. 1. f Car. Dial.il Bonan. 



\ Bott. tie Trin. ten. Mess. 1/17. $ Mong. Stor. cici treiii. 



flamina: 



