NATURAL HISTORY. si 



Saint Patrick's cavern, in Ireland, is not so consi- 

 derable as it is famous. It is the same with the Dog's 

 Giotto in Italy, and with that which throws out fire 

 in the mountain of Benigauzeval, in the kingdom of 

 Fez. 



One of the most remarkable and largest caverns 

 known, is that of Antiparos, which is computed to be 

 three hundred fathoms deep from the surface of the 

 earth ; but the grotto appears to be forty fathoms high 

 by fifty broad. It is filled with large, beautiful sta- 

 lactites, of various forms, both en the roof of the vault 

 and at the bottom 



In that part of Greece, called Livadia, (the Achaia 

 of the ancients) there is a large cavern, in a mountain 

 which was formerly very famous for the oracles of 

 Trophonius, between the lake Livadia and the adjacent 

 sea. There are forty subterranean passages across the 

 rock, under a lofty mountahij through which the waters 

 of the lake continually flow. 



In the month of June, 1714, apart of the mountain 

 of Diableret in Valois, fell suddenly, between two and 

 three o'clock in the afternoon. The sky was very serene ; 

 the mountain was of a conical figure, and destroyed 

 fifty-three huts belonging to the boors, and crushed to 

 death fifteen people, and above t\vo hundred cattle, ar>d 

 covered a square league with its ruins. A profound 

 darkness was occasioned by the dust. The heaps of 

 stones thrown together stopped the current of the wa- 

 ter, which formed new and very deep lakes. In all of 

 which, however, there was not the least trace of bitu- 

 minous matter, sulphur, lime, nor consequently any 

 subterranean fire, and it appeared that the base of this 

 great rock was worn away, or reduced to dust. 

 Vl. T. K 



