122 LETTER V. 



9. " That this deflrudtion was effedled by two 

 fuch violent Accidents fuddenly upon the back 

 of each other, may be the more natural to fup- 

 pofe, than that it was burnt by the fame mat- 

 ter that overwhelmed it, for if that was the 

 cafe, I do not fee how the Paintings could have 

 been preferved fo frefh as they are, or indeed 

 at all, nor can it be conceived that there fhould 

 not appear fome marks of the burning in the 

 Bricks, the Marble, the Stucco, and the reft: 

 now there is as yet no fuch thing to be ob- 

 ferved, nor does there appear to be any fort of 

 combuflible fubftance mixed with the Earth 

 or Rubbifli • both above and below it feems 

 to have been buried in common Earth, which 

 could naturally have no fhare in burning the 

 Town ', This may make it to be believed, it 

 was rather buried by fome extraordinary ef- 

 fects of an Earthquake which happened at the 

 fame time, than by burning matter thrown out 

 of the Mountain : That it was fet on fire by 

 burning Matter thrown out of the Mountain, 

 cannot well be doubted ; but that it was bu- 

 ried by burning matter from the Mountain, 

 appears not at all to be the cafe. In what- 

 foever manner the Fate of the Town was 

 brought upon it, it feems to have been as 

 dreadful an one as could have been inflicted in 

 Nature. I will trouble you with but one other 

 obfcrvation about it, which is, that the Inha- 



" bitants 



