23.2 "Earthquakes in Sicily, 



explosions fron the burning mountain. St. Marco suffered 

 exceedingly, but Naso was entirely destroyed,* The vol- 

 canoes of Eolie contributed much to the earthquakes of Ca- 

 labria and Messina in 1783. Stromboli was almost always in 

 great commotion. For many days it seemed like a mad bull, 

 which, raised above the waves, by his roariisg filled Calabria 

 and Sicily with terror. Vulcano often accompanied it, and 

 its deep rumblings, and vast columns of smoke and flame, 

 were terrible. 



After the violent earthquake of Sciacca in 1816, the same 

 evil fortune happened to other parts of the island. On the 

 loth of April, 1817, a severe shock terrified the people of 

 Caitagirone in Valdinoto, and of the neighbouring places. 

 One happened at Catania in October, and another on this 

 20th of February of the following year, 1818, which was 

 enormous. All the towns about iEtna were ruined, and many 

 lives lost. Catania felt its injurious effects. It was felt all 

 over the island, since at Palermo it produced three undula- 

 tions. Others which followed it, and which continued to 

 agitate Catania and the neighbouring region until April, were 

 felt with greater force. All these shocks were the precur- 

 sors of the grand eruption of -Slltna, which burst out on the 

 27th of May, 1819, and which lasted until August. While 

 Sicily was trembling, the volcano was rnaking its prepa- 

 rations in silence. The effects of the operations of ^tna, 

 are felt in places at a great distance from the mountain. Af- 

 ter the troubles of February and April, Catania and its vi- 

 cinity enjoyed repose until the 8th of September, when all 

 Madonia was convulsed. Other shocks succeeded in Oc- 

 itober and November. On the 25th of February, 1819, a very 

 severe one was felt, which extended to a great distance. At 

 Palermo three motions were produced, the last of which was 

 very violent. The shocks in the whole of the vast extent of 

 tbe mountains, where so much injury was done to the houses 

 of the numerous inhabitants of these regions, were always 

 preceded and followed by subterranean murmurs, and distant 

 explosions. Under these places it seems that those sub- 

 stances were deposited, which -^tna inflamed and ejected 

 from its mouth in the following May : because after the erup- 

 tion commenced, Madonia was left in quiet ; while ^tna, 



Amico Auct. ad Faz. Mcing-. 1. c. 



