Chap. 47-] for rents of Mud. 349, 



mountain, it appeared like a molehill, although the 

 perpendicular height of Vefuvius, from the level of the 

 fea, is more than three thoufand fix hundred feet. The 

 abbe Braccini, as appears in his printed account of 

 the eruption of Mount Vefuvius in 1 63 1 , meafured 

 with a quadrant the elevation of a mafs of clouds of 

 the fame nature, which was formed over Vefuvius dur- 

 ing that great eruption, and found it to exceed thirty- 

 miles in height. Dr. Scotti, in his printed account 

 of this eruption, fays, that the height of this threat- 

 ning cloud of fmoke and allies, meafured from Naples, 

 was found to be, of an elevation of thirty degrees. 



The ftorrr.. cf thunder and lightning, attended at 

 times with heavy falls of rain and afhes, caufing the 

 moft deftruclive torrents of water and glutinous mud, 

 mixed with huge ftones, and ..trees torn up by the 

 roots, continued more or lefs to afflift the inhabitants 

 on both fides of the volcano until the yth of July, 

 when the laft torrent deftroyed many hundred acres of 

 cultivated land, between the towns of Torre del Greco 

 and Torre dell' Annunziata. Some of thefe torrents, 

 both on the fea fide and the Somma fide of the moun- 

 tain, came down with a horrid rufhing noife; and 

 fome of them, after having forced their way through 

 the narrow gullies of the mountain, rofe to the height 

 of more than twenty feet, and were near half a mile in 

 extent. The mud, of which the torrents were com- 

 pofed, being a kind of natural mortar, completely cafed 

 up and ruined fome thoufand acres of rich vineyards ; 

 for it foon becomes fo hard, that nothing lefs than a 

 pickaxe can break it up. 



The laudable curiofityof our author induced him to 

 go upon Mount Vefuvius, as foon as it was confident 

 with any degree of prudence, which was not until the 

 joth of June, and even then it was attended with fome 



riik. 



