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prepare confsrves of lliem for fale. Mr. Swinburne fays, 

 tli '. liis wluiltf caravan, men and animals, were accommo- 

 diird al their cafe in this fxtiaordinary iiiclofurc : and tliat 

 after three acciiraie meafiircnuiUs, he fiuind the' outer cir- 

 cumference at one incli above the grour.d, to be 196 Eng- 

 lith feet. This tree formerly belonged to St. Agatha, but 

 has lately been di.cl.>red the properly of the crown. Tliere 

 arc other trees of a fimilui- kind at a fmidl dillance, whicli 

 are more worthy of admiration than this, as their trunk is 

 entire. One 01 them, which was clear of branciies to the 

 height of 15 feet, and perftftiy found, mcafured, in the 

 girth, at three feet above the ground, 57 feet. The foreft 

 of pines, as it is called, is almoll inaccelfiblc, on account 

 of the rocks and precipices that furround it. It is chiefly 

 worthy of notice, as it leads the traveller to ihe/nom grotto. 

 This cavity has been lately formed by the aftion of the 

 waters under tlie beds of lava, and removing the llratum of 

 po/./.olana below them. It is fituated on a mo\mt named 

 Finocchio. This grotto has been repaired at the expence of 

 the Knights of Malta, who have hired this and other ca- 

 verns in the mountain for the purpofe of holding fnow, 

 which is more wanted in their ifland than in Sicily, and 

 which forms a very confiderable article of commerce. The 

 fnow is thrown in at two openings above ; and thev have 

 accefs to thefc as well as to the internal parts by flights of 

 Heps. A confiderable extent of ground is enclofed by high 

 vails above llic grotto ; fo tiiat when tile wind drives 

 down the fnow from the higher pavts of the mountain, it is 

 flopped by the walls of this inclofure. It is then thrown 

 into the grotto, where the thickncfs of the beds of lava, 

 which cover it, picvents any injury from the fummer heat. 

 At the feafon of exportation, it is prefl'ed clofe in large bags, 

 and lumps of it are wrapped up in leaves, and conveyed to 

 the flioie on mules. Pieces of fnow, preferved in this man- 

 ner, have appeared like the moll tranfparent cryftal. 



Spallanzai.i detracts from the commendation which has 

 been given by other writers to the luxuriance of vegetation 

 in this region. The oaks, he fays, are low and ftinted in 

 their growth ; and th; beeches which grow only in the 

 upper txtrcniity of the zone, would appear mere pigmies, 

 if they were placed belide thofe which rear their lofty heads 

 on the Apennines and the Alps^ This he attributes to the 

 little depth of earth proper for vegetation. 



The woods and verdure of the regions, now defcribed, 

 «/2. the inferior and the' middle, have been recorded by 

 moll of the ancient writers ; and therefore the commence- 

 ment of this vegetation mufl be loft in the obfeurity of time. 

 Wliat is Hill more remarkable with refpecl to this woody 

 region, is the circumllance, that the furface of it is fo un- 

 equal, that it every where prcfents hills, or rather moun- 

 tains ; all of which have been produced by different erup- 

 tions from the fummit of ^ma, and other cratei-s below 

 the fummit, fcveral of which have formerly laid wafle this 

 zone, which is now converted into luxuriant forefts. Moll 

 of the travelleis in this region have fought flielter on the 

 night preceding their farther afcent, in the cave called La 

 Spe'onca del Ciipnol; or La Grotta delk Capre, or the grotto 

 of the goats, becaufe thefe animals take refuge here in bad 

 weather. This cave has been formed, from time immemo- 

 rial, by the lava, when in a fluid Hate, and feems to have 

 been enlarged by the torrents of water that have paffed 

 through it, and carried away fome of the fand and ilones 

 of which it confills. The lava is of a horn-ftone bafe ; 

 and though its texture is earthy and porous, it poirelfes a 

 confiderable degree of hardnefs. It contains fome fhoeris, 

 and two kuids of felt-fpars, fome of which are of a fiat 

 figure, and brilliant appearance, and others irregular in their 



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form, with little ludrc, and manifeRing a degree of caUiiia- 

 tion without any fufion. There are fome -other ilones in- 

 tcrfperfed, which are thought, from their haidnefs and green 

 colour, to be chryfolites. This grotto is fituated about 5054. 

 feet above the level of the fea, according to the calculations of 

 M. de Sauflure. It is furrounded by llately and majeilic 

 oaks, the dry leaves of which fupply the travellers who 

 flielter in it with beds, as the wood does with fuel. In the 

 neighbourhood of this cave there are two beautiful mountains, 

 the cratei? of which are larger than that of Vcfuvius, 

 They are .low filled with oaks, and covered to a great depth 

 with the rieheil foil. 



The ujiper region of iRtna, called its fn^id zon.', or the 

 Regione Dejerta, is maiked out by a circle of fnow and ice, 

 extending, as fome tlate, to the dillaiice of about eight 

 miles ; but according to Fazello, nearly twelve, and having 

 the great crater in its centre. The furface of this zone is 

 for tiie mofl; part flat and even ; and the approach to it is 

 indicated by the decline of vegetation, by uncovered rocks 

 of lava, and heaps of fand, by near views of an expanfe of 

 fnow and ice, and of the torrents of fmokc ilfulHg from the 

 crater of the mountain, and by the difficulty and danger of 

 advancing amidll llreams of melted liiow, flicets of ice, and 

 gulls of cliilling wind. The curious traveller, liowevcr, 

 thinks himfelf amply recompenfed, upon gaining the fum- 

 mit, for the perils with which he has encountered. His 

 fatigue is alleviated by the rcfleiflion that the emperor 

 Adrian, and the philofopher Plato, underwent the fame : 

 for the purpofe of exploring the fummit of the mountain, 

 and of gratifying themfelves with a view of the riling fun 

 from this eminence. Mofl of the traveller: who have vitited 

 Atna, have been anxious to reach its fummit at the dawn of 

 the morning, before the vapours that are raifed by the fun 

 obfcare furrounding objefts ; and they all agree in defcrib- 

 ing the extent and beauty of the profpeft. When Mr. 

 Brydone and his companions afcended this eminence, ele- 

 vated above the common region of vapour, in the night, 

 they obferved that the number of the ftars feemed to be 

 much increafed, and that their light appeared brighter than 

 ufual. The luftre of the milky way was like a pure flame, 

 that fliot acrofs the heavens ; and with the naked eye they 

 could obferve clullers of liars which were totally invifible 

 in the lower regions. Below them on the mountain they 

 perceived a moving light amcng.the forefts, which might 

 probably have been an ignis fatuus, and they took notice of 

 feveral of thofe meteors that are called falling ftars, which 

 app'eared to be as much above them, as when they were 

 feen from the plain ; and from this circumllance Mr. Biy- 

 done infers, that thefe meteors move in regions much more 

 remote than the bounds which fome philolophers have af- 

 cnbed to our atmofphere. Before dawn they arrived at the 

 ruins of an ancient flruclure, called //' Torre del Phdofupho, 

 which fome fuppofe to have been built by Empedocles, for 

 his convenience in obfei-ving the conflagrations, and lludyi.ig 

 the nature of Mount ^tna. By others it is fuppofed to be 

 the ruins of a temple of Vulcan. Others again imagine it to 

 be a watch-tower, built by the Normans, for the pui-pofe 

 of obferving the motions of their enemies, and giving no- 

 tice of them by fignals, to the different bodies of troops 

 fcattered over the ifland. M. Houel thinks it is not very 

 ancient ; neither the materials of which it confills, nor the 

 mode of architetlure, bearing any refcmblance to thofe of 

 the Greeks or Romans. Some have afferted, that they 

 have found in this ruin, fragments of brick and marble ; 

 but no fuch fragments now exill. The materials were exa- 

 mined by Spallanzani, who dif'covered that they confifled of 

 a cement of lime, which by length of time is become car- 



bonate 



