A 
402 Profefor WiLLiAMs on Earthquakes. 
and South-America, have been burning, we have no hiftory or 
tradition ancient enough to inform us. Many of their effects 
bear. the marks of more furious eruptions than any there have 
‘been in modern times. The foil for more than twenty miles, 
round Na/es, by its cinder, ftones, burnt matter and lava, ap- 
pears to have been the production of very ancient fubterraneous 
fires, earthquakes and eruptions.* The Appenines, a chain 
of mountains which divide the continent of Jta/y from north 
to fouth, and extend even to Sicily, difcover many tokens of an 
internal fire ; and were judged, by that celebrated philofopher, 
M. de la Condemine, to be a chain of ancient volcanoes. This 
is alfo the cafe with that long chain of mountains in South- 
America, known by the name of the dudes. Thefe moun- 
tains run from 45° fouth latitude, to feveral degrees north of 
the line, and al(o throughout all Mexico ; being, according to 
Monf. Bouguer’s account, five thoufand aa: in extent. The 
feries of volcanoes, formed by thefe mountains, is interrupted : 
many are totally extinguifhed ; and there are many which are 
fill burning ; 3 and many of the ancient ones frequently burít 
out again.t Several of the We /fl- Indian lands, the Azores, 
Tenerife, and moft high mountains, either contain volcanoes, 
or, by the veftiges of calcination and vitrification, fhow the 
former effets of them.—And as {everal iflands and mountains 
have’ been funk, fo we have authentic accounts of feveral that 
have been thrown up from the bottom of the fea, by fubterra- 
meous fires. Such effects with the relations of hiftory, afford - 
oun evidence, that the globe has always been fubject to 
 greatl LES by fubterraneous fires, earthquakes and 
polci" The 
* Phil. Tranf. for 1771. Art. 1. 
& Gondamine’s Travels into Ztaly. 
