VOL. LXXIII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 377 



most by the earthquakes, the braying of an ass, the neighing of a horse, or the 

 cackling of a goose, always drove people out of their barracks, and was the 

 occasion of many pater-nosters and ave-marias being repeated, in expectation of 

 a shock. From Monteleone he descended into the plain, having passed through 

 many towns and villages which had been more or less ruined according to their 

 vicinity to the plain. The town of Mileto, situated in a bottom, he saw was 

 totally destroyed, and not a house standing. Here, as well as in several other 

 parts, he mentions most remarkable instances of animals being able to live long 

 without food, of which there have been many examples during these present 

 earthquakes. At Soriano 1 fattened hogs, that had remained buried under a 

 heap of ruins, were taken out alive the 42d day ; they were lean and weak, but 

 soon recovered. It was evident to his observation, that all habitations situated 

 on high grounds, the soil of which is a gritty sand stone, somewhat like a 

 granite, but without the consistence, had suffered less than those situated in the 

 plain, - which are universally levelled to the ground. The soil of the plain is a 

 sandy clay, white, red, or brown ; but the white prevails most, and is full of 

 marine shells, particularly scollop shells. He was told that, during the earth- 

 quake of the 5th of February, from several hollow spots a fountain of water 

 mixed with sand, had been driven to a considerable height. Sir Wm. spoke to 

 a peasant here, who was present, and was covered with the water and sand ; 

 but assured him, that it was not hot, as had been represented. Before this 

 appearance, he said, the river was dry ; but soon after returned and overflowed 

 its banks. Sir Wm. afterwards found, that the same phenomenon had been 

 constant with respect to all the other rivers in the plain during the formidable 

 shock of the 5th of February. He thinks this phenomenon is easily explained 

 by supposing the first impulse of the earthquake to have come from the bottom 

 upwards, which all the inhabitants of the plains attest to be fact ; the surface of 

 the plain suddenly rising, the rivers, which are not deep, would naturally dis- 

 appear, and the plain, returning with violence to its former level, the rivers must 

 naturally have returned, and overflowed, at the same time that the sudden 

 depression of the boggy grounds would as naturally force out the water that lay 

 hid under their surface. He observed in the other parts, where this sort of phe- 

 nomenon had been exhibited, that the ground was always low and rushy. It had 

 been remarked at Rosarno, and the same remark had been constantly repeated to 

 him in every ruined town that he visited, that the male dead were generally found 

 under the ruins in the attitude of struggling against the danger ; but that the 

 female attitude was usually with hands clasped over their heads, as giving them- 

 selves up to despair, unless they had children near them ; in which case they 

 were always found clasping the children in their arms, or in some attitude which 

 vol. xv. 3 C 



