354 Immenfe Quantity of AJfyes. [Book VI. 



houfes, walls, trees, and not lefs thin four thoufand 

 fheep and other cattle. At Somma., a team of eight 

 oxen, which were drawing a large timber tree, were at 

 once Carried off, and never were heard of more. 



The appearance of thefe torrents was like that of 

 all other torrents in mountainous countries, except 

 that what had been mud was become a perfect cement, 

 on which nothing lefs than a pickaxe could make any 

 isnprcffion. The vineyards and cultivated lands were 

 here much more ruined ; and the limbs of the trees 

 much more torn by the weight of the afhes, than thofe 

 which have been already defcribed on the fea fide of 

 the volcano. 



The abbe Tata, in his printed account of this erup- 

 tion, has given a good idea of the abundance, the great 

 weight, and glutinous quality of thefe allies, when he 

 fays, that having taken a branch from a fig-tree ftill 

 ftanding near the town of Somma, on which were only 

 fix leaves, and two little unripe figs, and having 

 weighed it with the afhes attached to it, he found it to 

 be thirty-one ounces j when having wafhed off the 

 volcanic matter, it fcarely weighed three. 



In the town of Somma, our author found four 

 churches and about feventy houfes without roofs, and 

 full of afhes. The great damage on that fide of the 

 mountain, by the fall of the afhes and the torrents, 

 happened on the i8th, I9th, and loth of June, and on 

 the 1 2th of July. The ,i 9th, the afhes fell fo thick at 

 Somma, that unlefs a perfon kept in motion, he was 

 foon fixed to the ground by them. This fall of afhes 

 was accompanied alfo with loud reports, and frequent 

 flafhes of the volcanic lightning, fo that, furrounded by 

 fo many horrors, it was impoffible for the inhabitants 

 to remain in the town, and they all fled j the darknefs 

 was fuch, although it was mid- day, that even with the 



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