LETTER V. 125 



deep Vallies, which cannot be defcended into, and 

 afterwards appears again fomc miles farther. It 

 is very certain, that by Winds, Rains, great 

 Floods, Earthquakes and other Accidents, Plains 

 are fwelled to Hills, and Hills funk to Vallies^ 

 The Land gains from the Sea in fome places, and 

 lofes in others ; The Sea furnifhes the Land 

 with Lakes, and the Land renders it Ifbnds; Ri- 

 vers dry, and change their courfe^ Mountains be- 

 come level 'y and the figure of the Globe is in 

 perpetual variation. 



1 3 . My dear Friend : All this I allow to be 

 indelible truth ; and particularly fo in regard to 

 Ifaly and Sicily y both of which Countries muft 

 be in a good meafure undermined, and of courfe 

 have their furface flrangely altered by Earth- 

 quakes, fince Vefuvius and MtJia have (in order 

 to effed: it) been burning out their Bowels for fo 

 many Ages together. This we are fure of ^ that 

 both thefe Mountains have fallen into a raging 

 Fit at the fame time, which have induced many 

 Perfons of found judgment and learning, to infer 

 that they have a fubterraneous communication 

 with each other. 



14. Nor is this confined folely to that part of 

 the World -, for about the year of our Lord 

 1 71 8, whilft I lived at Nevis ^ the Sea did among 

 the AzoreSy or Weftern Iflands, gradually throw 

 up Stones and Earth fo long as till it had formed 



a 



