THE EARTH. 323 



in Jamaica,'* says Mr Barbham, " one morning 

 from my habitation, situated about three miles 

 north-west from Jago de la Vega, I saw a ball of 

 fire, appearing to me of the bigness of a bomb, 

 swiftly falling down with a great blaze. At first 

 I thought it fell into the town ; but when I came 

 nearer, I saw many people gathered together a 

 little to the southward, in the Savannah, to whom 

 I rode up, to inquire the cause of their meeting : 

 they were admiring, as I found, the ground's be- 

 ing strangely broke up and ploughed by a ball of 

 fire, which, as they said, fell down there. I ob- 

 served there were many holes in the ground ; one 

 in the middle, of the bigness of a man's head, 

 and five or six smaller round about it, of the big- 

 ness of one's fist, and so deep as not to be fathom- 

 ed by such implements as were at hand. It was 

 observed, also, that all the green herbage was 

 burnt up near the holes ; and there continued a 

 strong smell of sulphur near the place for some 

 time after." 



Ulloa gives an account of one of a similar kind, 

 at Quito.* " About nine at night," says he, " a 

 globe of fire appeared to rise from the side of the 

 mountain Pichinca, and so large, that it spread a 

 light over all the part of the city facing that 

 mountain. The house where I lodged looking 

 that way, I was surprised with an extraordinary 

 light, darting through the crevices of the window- 

 shutters. On this appearance, and the bustle of 

 the people in the street, I hastened to the window, 



* Ulloa, vol. i. p. 41. 



