( 48 ) 



The greater part of the decompofed latas 

 of the Monte delle Stufe are, externally, of 

 a reddifh white ; and fome are of a black- 

 ifh colour. I firft examined the latter ; and 

 prefenting their furface to the full light of 

 the fun, I difcovered fomething of a brilliant 

 appearance which invited me to examine 

 it with the lens. It proved an aggregate of 

 innumerable globules of hsematitic iron, 

 which beautifully cover the furface of thefe 

 lavas, 



I detached a confiderable number of thefe 

 globules, and found that on trituration they 

 afTumed a red colour, which is the property 

 of the dark haematites. This was, there- 

 fore, a pure martial oxide, depofited here, 

 and formed into globules ; and under that 

 aggregate lay another oxide of red, but 

 earthy iron. The lava ftill deeper was of 

 a white colour, interfered with parallel 

 ftreaks of a reddifh black, or lightly fhaded 

 with a yellowifh tinge. 



Thefe lavas are foft, light, and compact : 



they 



