CALORIFICATION.' 375 



break, issued another smoke tinged with red, in- 

 creasing until the whole was involved in fire, 

 in lightning, and in smoke. The ashes that fell 

 were wet, and to the taste very salt and pun- 

 gent, and contained many saline particles. 

 The breadth of the lava which fell into the sea > 

 and which has now formed a new promontory, 

 after having destroyed the greatest part of the 

 town of Torre del Greco, is 1204 English feet, 

 its height above the sea 12 feet, and as many 

 under, 24 feet altogether ; and it extends into 

 the sea 626. I observed the sea water was 

 boiling as in a caldron where it formed the foot 

 of the new promontory, and smoked at 100 

 yards distance. I then put my hand into the 

 water, which was literally scalded, and the pitch 

 from the bottom of the boat was melting fast, 

 and floating on the surface of the sea ; a num- 

 ber of boiled fish were afterwards found floating 

 on the surface of the water." The horrid chasm 

 which Sir William found to exist two miles, 

 formed vallies 200 feet deep, and half a mile 

 wide ; and where the fountain of fiery matter 

 existed during the eruption it formed little moun 

 tains with deep craters. And he is of opinion 

 that 10,000 men, in as many years, could not 

 have altered the face of Vesuvius so much 

 was effected by this concussion, in the space of 

 four hours. He went on the top of some of the 

 most considerable of the new formed moun- 



