Prof. Ferrara on the Earthquakes in Sicily in 1823. 157 



the fluid with its own colour, and equal volumes of the water yielded a 

 greater quantity of the clay than before, when the colour was deeper.* 

 Most of the houses in the little new town of Sarcari, two miles from the 

 shore, and consisting of less than a hundred houses, were rendered unin- 

 habitable ; the walls were thrown down, and the more lofty buildings 

 were all damaged. The effects of the earthquake are found to be greater 

 in proportion to its advance eastward. 



Forty-eight miles from Palermo, at Cefalu, a large city on the shore of 

 a promontory, the effects were various and injurious. Without the walls, 

 two convents, a storehouse, and some country houses, were injured, but 

 no lives were lost. The sea made a violent and sudden rush to the shore, 

 carrying with it a large ship laden with oil ; and when the wave retired, 

 she was left quite dry ; but a second wave returned with such immense 

 force, that the ship was dashed to pieces, and the oil lost. Boats, which 

 were approaching the shore, were borne rapidly forward to the land, but 

 at the return of the water, they were carried as rapidly back, far beyond 

 their first situation. The same motion of the sea, but less violent, was 

 observed all along the shore, as far even as Palermo. Pollina, a town with 

 nine hundred inhabitants, occupying an elevated position at a little dis- 

 tance from the sea, was injured in almost every building ; particularly in 

 the church of St Peter and Nunciata, in the castle, the tower, and in other 

 places. Nor did Finale, a little nearer the shore, suffer less ; five of its 

 houses fell in consequence, on the llth of March. 



Beyond the towns which have been mentioned, towards the interior of 

 the island, the shock was vigorous to a certain extent, but kept decreasing 

 as it proceeded throughout the whole surface. At Ciminna, south of Ter- 

 mini, a statue was shaken from its place on the top of a belfry in front of 

 the great church, and a part of the clock tower falling, killed one person 

 and badly wounded another. In Cerda, the shock affected the great 

 church, and also some houses, and half of one of the three forts, placed 

 near the city to support the earth on the side of a great declivity. 



The only church in Boccapalomba, which is situated at the top of an 

 acclivity, was ruined- The parish church, and some private houses in the 

 little town of Scillato, were overthrown. In Gratteri, a large town south 

 of Cephalu, injury was sustained by the church of St James and other 

 houses. Considerable damage was sustained by various churches, and many 

 private houses in Colesano, a town containing two thousand inhabitants, 

 and situated on an inclined plain, on the eastern side of the mountains of 

 Madonic. One of the Colleges de Maria was rendered uninhabitable. 

 The hospital, a grand fabric, was made a heap of ruins. The loss is calcu- 

 lated at about fifteen thousand pounds Sterling. In the vicinity of Pozzillo 

 and St Agata, through a large extent of land, many long fissures and ca- 

 verns were made. Similar caverns and fissures in argillaceous chalk, were 



• The warm and mineral waters of St Euphcmia, in Calabria, which sprung up 

 after the memorable earthquakes in 103», presented the same phenomena during 

 those of 17'M. — Grttnalii desrr. dei trem, del. 17M- 



