Chap. 47.] Death of the elder Pliny. 361 



mind the death of the elder Pliny, who moft probably 

 Joft his life by the fame fort of mephitic vapours, on 

 this very fpot, and which are active after great erup- 

 tions of Vefuvius. 



2. Mr. James, a Britifh merchant, afiured our au- 

 thor, that on Tuefday night, the iyth of June, which 

 was the third day of the eruption of Mount Vefuvius, 

 he was in a boat with a fail, near Torre del Greco, 

 when the minute afhes, fo often mentioned, fell thick ; 

 and that in the dark they emitted a pale light like phof- 

 phorus, fo that his hat, thofe of the boatmen, ancj 

 the part of the fails that were covered with afhes, were 

 luminous. Others had mentioned having feen a 

 phofphoric light on Vefuvius after this eruption j but 

 until it was confirmed to him by Mr. James,, he did 

 not chufe to fay any thing about it *. 



* See Phil. Tranf. for 1795, p. 73 , &c. 



