NOME II. VESICULAR LAVA. $47 



mouth of the volcano, even when not in a state 

 of agitation. It seems as if nature had placed 

 these noxious fumes as a guard to Etna, and 

 other fiery mountains, to prevent the approach 

 of curiosity, and secure her mysterious and 

 wondrous labours from discovery. I should, 

 however, justly incur the reproach of being un- 

 grateful, were I not to acknowledge the generous 

 partiality she appeared to manifest towards me. 

 At the time I made my visit the sky was clear, 

 the mountain free from snows, the temperature 

 of the atmosphere not incommodious, the ther- 

 mometer standing at seven degrees above the 

 freezing point (48 of Fahrenheit), and the wind 

 favouring my design, by driving the smoke of 

 the crater from me, which otherwise would 

 alone have been sufficient to have frustrated all 

 my attempts. The streams of smoke I met with 

 in my way were indeed somewhat troublesome, 

 but they might have been much more so; 

 though, had our guides conducted us by another 

 road, as on my return to Catania I found they 

 might have done, we should have escaped this 

 inconvenience. 



" It here will not be improper to compare other 

 these observations on the crater of Etna with 

 those of Baron Riedesel, Sir William Hamilton, 

 Mr. Brydone, and Count Borch; as such a 



