METALS AND MINERALS. 17 



thunder, sudden and violent, resembling those of the 

 heaviest artillery. The lava, or rivers of lire, flowed at 

 the rate of about a mile per hour. The greatest part of 

 the village of Torre del Greco, distant one mile from 

 Portici, was destroyed. The inhabitants, to the num- 

 ber of seventeen thousand saved themselves by a 

 speedy flight, and happily there were not above four- 

 teen or fifteen lives lost. The lava covered and -to- 

 tally destroyed above fifty thousand acres of rich 

 vineyards and cultivated ground ; and the temporary 

 damage in otlier adjacent places was very great, as 

 the ashes laid for several miles round not less than 

 four feet in depth. 



I might, my dear sir, entertain you with an account 

 of a great number of other wonderful natural curio- 

 sities, which the surface of this globe in many parti 

 displays, such as dreadful precipices, stupendous ca- 

 verns, c. which it would at present be useless to 

 enumerate, as you will meet with accurate and very 

 entertaining descriptions of them in books of geogra- 

 phy and travels, to which they more particularly 

 belong, and the perusal of which I recommended to 

 your attention as affording an ample fund of rational 

 amusement as well as of useful information. Enough 

 has been here said on these subjects to shew that the 

 Almighty is wonderful in all his works. 



With every sentiment of esteem and affection 



I am, dear b'ir, your'*, &c. 



LETTER V. 



" Informer of the planetary train ! 



******* 



The mineral kinds confess thy mighty power 

 Effulgent : hence the veiny marble shines ; 

 Hence Labour draws his tools ; hence bunmh'd War 

 Gleams on the day*; the nobler works ol" Peace 

 Hence bless mankind." 



THOMSO.V. 

 DEAR SIR, % 



E cannot with propriety conclude our survey of 

 this immense mass of inanimate matter which, by the 

 operation of infinite power and wisdom, is so inoulded 



