416 DOMAIN XII. VOLCANIC. 



Wards, in a line, which from the third or open 

 region of the mountain passed the woody region 

 till it reached the cultivated lands of Castiglione 

 and Linguagrossa, many new orifices were open- 

 ed. One was at six miles distance from the first, 

 and the others at unequal distances; while 

 throughout all the space many fissures appeared 

 and subsidencies of the ground. From these 

 new orifices, after they had darted immense 

 clouds of dark smoke, which appeared like hor- 

 ridl rocks hanging in the air, and from which the 

 drosses which fell in iron sleet, rushing and 

 dashing against each other, produced a clamour 

 which filled the neighbourhood with dismay; 

 on the 28th, at the approach of night, were 

 ejected torrents of lava, whilst the mountain 

 suffered the most violent convulsions, and re- 

 sounded with horrible bellowings, which were 

 heard even as far as Catania. The thunders of 

 these apertures were pretty frequent, and were 

 repeated progressively from one to the other, till 

 they reached the crater. The eruption conti- 

 nued for the remaining clays of March, and the 

 beginning of April, when the lava ceased; after 

 having covered a space of eight miles in length, 

 and four hundred and fifty feet in breadth. 

 Around the two chief orifices, in which the fire 

 seemed at last concentrated, were formed two 



