638 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I67I. 



in a short space of time 13 towns, besides a part of the city of Catania itself, 

 and afterwards were by the air hardened into vast heaps of black and pumice- 

 like stones, there called Sciarra; wasting and spoiling abundance of vines, olives, 

 and other plants. 



The casting out of the ashes and sand continued for three whole months 

 without ceasing, and filled all the neighbouring country, and covered all the 

 trees thereof for 1 5 miles about ; the smallest dust flying even over sea into Ca- 

 labria by a south wind, and into the most southern parts of Sicily by a north 

 wind. 



But then on the 25th of March, by a new earthquake the top or turret of 

 Mount ^tna itself fell in, whereby was made an opening or cauldron of three 

 miles in compass, and vast quantities of new matter cast out, and amongst it 

 abundance of fiery sand, falling down with a yet burning heat at eight miles 

 distance from the cauldron; whereupon tiie same by particular view and obser- 

 vation was found widened to the circumference of six miles. Mean while all 

 considering men there were amazed at the force throwing out to so great a 

 height such huge stones, whereof one was measured to be 6o palmes, or about 

 40 feet, long, which was fallen down a mile from the cauldron with that vio- 

 lence, that it was struck 30 palmes into the ground. 



When this fiery torrent assaulted Catania itself, and had already by its impe- 

 tuosity forced from its place a whole hillock, planted with vines, belonging to 

 the Jesuits, and carried them floating, together with the soil bearing them, till 

 it so swelled as to cover and sink them all ; there appeared some gallant persons, 

 who by their ingenuity and extraordinary diligence, with fit instruments, and 

 raising vast strong walls, diverted the course of the fiery stream from that city, 

 but chiefly by boring through the stony heaps, and thereby making passage for 

 that current another way, and turning part of it into the sea, wherein it made 

 a promontory of a mile's compass before the town. 



It ceased by the 1 1th of July of the same year it began ; and in May of 1670, 

 our author himself could handle without hurt the inner parts of the cauldron 

 and the former torrent, and saw not so much as any smoke remaining in the 

 highest part of that opening ; where yet he observes, that notwithstanding this 

 entire ceasing in the said places, there were yet found in several parts of this 

 newly ejected sciarra hot and strong-smelling fumes arising on high, especially 

 near the walls of the south side of Catania, where wells had been dug for water- 

 ing their garden fields. 



This being the breviate of the history of this eruption, which the author de- 

 scribes with many other considerable circumstances, after this description he 

 expatiates into divers important speculations and remarks thereon. 



