360 Animals killed by Mofete. [Book VI. 



mofete, which deflroyed his vineyards in the year 

 1767, and having obferved then that the vapour fol- 

 lowed the laws of all fluids, made a narrow deep 

 ditch all round his vineyard, which communicated 

 wijih ancient lavas, and alfo with a deep cavern under 

 one of them; the confequence of his well planned 

 operation was, that although furrounded by thefe 

 noxious vapours, which lay constantly at the bottom 

 of his ditch, they never entered his vineyard^ and his 

 vines were in a flourifhing flate, while thofe of his 

 neighbours were perifhing. Upwards of thirteen 

 hundred hares, and many pheafants and partridges, 

 overtaken by this vapour, were found dead within his 

 Sicilian majefty's referved chafes in the neighbourhood 

 of Vefuvius j and alfo many domeftic cats, who in 

 their purfuit after this game fell victims to the mofete. 

 A fhoal of fifh, of feveral hundred weight, having been 

 obferved by fome fifhermen at Refina in great agita- 

 tion on the furface of the fea, near fome rocks of an 

 ancient lava that had run into the fea, they furrounded 

 them with their nets, and took them all with eafe, and 

 afterwards difcovered that they had ' been flunned by 

 the mephitic vapour, which at that time ifllied forcibly 

 from underneath the ancient lava into the fea. 



The account of Sir William Hamilton is concluded 

 by two remarks, which as they are curious I fhall 

 infert : 



i. Within a mile of Caftel-a-mare, the mofete were 

 flill very active (on Sept. 2.) and particularly under 

 the fpot where the ancient town of Stabia was fituated. 

 The 2^.th of Auguft, a young 'lad by accident falling 

 into a well there that was dry, but full of the mephitic 

 vapour, was immediately fuffbcatedj there were no 

 ilgns of any injury from the fall, as the well was 

 fhallow. This circumftance called to our author's 



mind 



