Prof. Fervara on the Earthquakes m Sicily in 1823. 365 



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 forty-two 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 ter- 

 rible element ; and some are still burning, and serve as outlets to the sub- 

 terranean furnaces. Vulcano, twenty-two mile; from Cape Milazzo, 

 burns, roars, thunders, and throws 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 pre- 

 serves 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 al- 

 ways troubled Sicily. Early one morning, in February 1444, enormous 

 masses of heated matter, amidst huge volumes of smoke and flame, were 

 raised from the summit of Vulcano, 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 Vul- 

 cano, and, on the next day, this unhappy city, by the violence of the con- 

 vulsions 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. On the 22d of April 1717, at dawn of day, a deep sub- 

 terranean 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 Vul- 

 cano, as Milazzo, Pozzodigotto, Castroealo, twenty-six miles distant from 

 it. The last city was entirely ruined. Shocks were renewed in the same 

 places in 1732; and with much greater force in 173G, when the whole 

 northern coast was violently affected, particularly 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, 

 back of Naso, saw thrown from the mouth of Vulcano, immense 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, flaming matter which gave out on every side 

 bright sparks, and struck with fearful crashes. It passed over Naso and 

 St Marco, and went on wasting itself in the interior. Such phenomena 

 were unlucky omens to these unhappy towns. At 12 o'clock, on the 9th, 

 a dreadful howling from Vulcano, was followed by a violent shock, which, 

 after a few moments, was repeated with many explosions ; more than a 

 hundred were counted within six days, and another on the twenty-first 

 Great rocks were detached from the mountains in the vicinity. Another 

 flaming mass on the 9th of June, darted from Vulcano and passed over 

 Sicily ; shocks were felt till the 22d, accompanied by bowlings and nu- 

 merous explosions from the burning mountain. St Marco suffered ex- 



