VOL. XL.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIOKS. 245 



A third person, in hopes of fetching up this second before he was quite 

 dead, was tied fast into a large basket, and let down with more caution ; but 

 when he came to the same stratum, finding his breath going, as he expressed 

 it, he cried out, and was drawn up again; but remained in the open air for 

 the space of near half an hour, pale as dead, panting and speechless. 



The dead bodies were, within three hours space, drawn up by the help of 

 a sort of tongs, used to fetch things up from the bottom of the sea ; but 

 brought such a disagreeable stench in their cloaths with them, as made several 

 hardy men, who assisted in doing it, vomit. 



The next day a cat was let down, and at the same place seized with convul- 

 sions ; but being drawn quickly up again, soon came to herself; which experi- 

 ment was repeated several times for some weeks following, by which it was 

 found, that this destructive vapour was sometimes of a greater and sometimes 

 less force, and sometimes quite gone, so that the cat felt no uneasiness; and a 

 lighted candle, which would sometimes be immediately extinguished as soon as 

 it sunk below this deadly stratum, would burn clearly at the very bottom. 



It was very remarkable, that there was a whitish fog in the well, so thick 

 that one could but just see the dead bodies through it. 



Water being scarce in that place, the well was left open for about 8 months, 

 in hopes the damp might at last wholly leave it ; but instead of that, it became 

 worse; and not confining itself within its first bounds, it overflowed at the 

 top, where, when the air was moist, it appeared like a thin white fog; and 

 when the air was dry, could be perceived like a warm breath, at all times dif- 

 fusing a sulphureous stench, something like that which arises from filings of 

 iron, while corroding with vinegar, affecting those who came into it with a 

 giddiness, shortness of breath, and propensity to vomit ; so that at last the 

 well was filled up, being troublesome to the family which lived near it. 



The stratum abovementioned, which is continued to the neighbouring clift, 

 where, when heated with the summer's sun, it gives a noisome sulphureous 

 smell, and is, after moderate rains, covered with a yellowish efflorescent salt, 

 very astringent and acid. — On the shore below there are gathered pyrites. 



P. S. The vein which was cut through in the middle of the well, from 

 whence were emitted the fatal effluvia, is a crude ore made up of iron, sulphur 

 and acid salts, mixed with pyrites. 



These effluvia were not perceived till after the vein had imbibed the air for 

 several days. While the air continued dry, these effluvia subsided, and lay in 

 the lower part of the well, which seemed filled near to an exact level with the 

 stratum from whence they came. 



But when the weather became rainy, the quantity as well as the impetus of 



