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grtM crater, and from innumerable fiffiires in the fides of the 

 Fioiiiuaiii, arc condenftd by the cold of that elevated region 

 of the atmofphcre, and percolating through the earth, fur- 

 niih the numerous Ibeanis of ililna with water. 



The numerous caverns that are met with in different 

 parts of iEtna dcferve notice. The grotto of the goats, 

 the fr.ow grotto, and thofe of mount RofTo, have been 

 already mentioned. Kircher fpeaks of one, which he faw, 

 capable of containing jo.oco perlons. One ot thcfe ca- 

 ♦erns lUll retains the name of Proferpine, from its being 

 fuppofed by the ancients, that it was by this entry Pluto 

 coin ived her into his dominions; on which occafion Ovid 

 defcribes Ctrco as fcarchingfor her daughter with two trees, 

 I'luc'ii file had plucked from the mountain, for ferving the 

 purpofe of torches. Thefc trees he calls T^i/a ; and they 

 produce great quantities of a kind of rulin, called Catalana, 

 and cileemed a cure for fores. Ovid. Fall. 1. iv. torn. iii. p. 

 :-|. Ed. Burni. Diod. Sic. torn. i. p. .^33. Ed. Weli'eliiig. 



^tna produces a great variety of plants and flowers, as 

 well as trees of a larger fize, fuch as the chefnut, oak and 

 cork tree, S:c. Mr. Br)done enumerates the cinnamon, 

 f.u faparilla, faffafras, rhubarb and palma Chri'.li : and he 

 add-:, that it was celebrated by the ancients for its odoriferous 

 produrtions. See Diod. Sic. torn. i. p. 322. Plutarch and 

 Arillotle intim.ate tltat the Imcll of the plants was fo ftrong 

 on many parts of the mountain, that it was impoffible to 

 hunt. There was fonnerly a great variety of wild beafts 

 in the woody region of YEtua ; but the niunbcr of them 

 is now much reduced. There are dill wild boars, roebucks 

 and wild goats; but the race of llags is thought to be ex- 

 tinct. The horfcs and cattle of mount JEtna were once 

 efteemed the bell in Sicily. The cattle are ilill of a large 

 fize, but the horfes have degenerated. Spallanzani infomis 

 us, that partridges (Tctrao rufiis, Linn.) were fhot at the 

 upper extremity of the middle region, and in this region 

 he met with feveral birds of the titnioufe fpecies (Panu 

 exnileus, Linn.) a kke fluiko iiiihusj, three jays f'^orw/j 

 gLimlularlus), two thruflies (TttrJits •vifchorus J , and feveral 

 ravens and crows ( corvus corax ; corvus corone.) But in 

 the middle of the higher region he faw no other animals, 

 except fome lion-ants ( Myrmeh'oii formiciirum, Linn.) which 

 made their pitfalls in the dull of the lavas. 



We (hall clofe this article, already extended to a confi- 

 derable length, and compriling every kind of information 

 which we have met with concerning iEtna, with an account 

 of its principal ei-upt'tcns. The hrll fymptom of an ap- 

 proaching eruption is an increafe of the fmoke, in fair wea- 

 ther ; and after fome time, a puff of black fmoke is feen to 

 fhoot up to a confiderable height in the midll of the white. 

 Thefe puffs are attended with confiderable explofions ; and 

 the afcending column of black fmoke is followed by a red- 

 dirtt flame. The fmoke appears black in the day, and in 

 the night refembles flame. Showers of afties precede ; 

 earthquakes frequently accompany them ; and red hot ftones 

 are projefted to a great height in the air. The crater and 

 fmoke, at the time of an eruption, arc fo highly eleftrical, 

 that they throw off^ fpontaneous flaflies into the air ; and 

 the fmoke has fometimes extended, fays Mr. Brydone, for 

 upwards of 100 miles, and produced dreadful effefls, killing 

 fliephe.-ds and flocks on the mountains, blalling trees, and 

 fetting fire to houfes which occupied an elevated fituation. 

 From the column of afcending Iraoke continual flaflies of 

 forked or zig-zag lightning proceed, and this is fometimes 

 attended with thunder. When thcfe appearances have con- 

 tinued for three or four months, the lava, or ftream of 

 melted mineral matter, boils over the top of the crater, or 

 budls throufrh fome weak place in the fide. Upon the 

 appearance of the lava, the violent cruptious of the moun- 



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tarn generally, though not always, ceafe ; but without a 

 vent for the lava, the commotion is veiy much increafed. 

 In the night this lava ajipears like a ftream of fire, and flows 

 to a great dillance ; but in the day its progrefs is marked by 

 a white fmoke. It has been a fubjetl of difcuffion among 

 philofophers, whether the eruptions of volcanoes are now 

 iefs frequent than they were formerly. This is probably 

 the cafe, as the matter in the volcanic focus was then greater 

 in quantity than it is at prefent ; and the cavities beinjj 

 fmaller were fooner filled with vapour, and the center of the 

 focus was nearer the furface than it is now, in confequencc 

 of repeated eruptions and difcharges. The whole number 

 of the crL-.plions of this mountain, of which we have a!iy 

 record, fays Spallanzani, before and after the ChriiUan oera, iii 

 3 I ; and 10 only, according to Gioeni, have iflued immediately 

 from the higliell crater ; but it is not eafy to make an exadt 

 eilimate, as the fame eruption has continued with or without 

 iutcrmifTionr,, for fome time ; and has been taken fmgly by 

 fome writers, whilll others have reckoned eveiy renewal of 

 it feparatcly. The eruptions of ^tna have been reported 

 and defcribed by feveral of the ancient poets. Tiie hrll of 

 thefe, by whom they are mentioned, is I'indar, in the follow- 

 ing pafi"age, the fifth decade of an ode which was com-- 

 pofed in the 78th olympiad, about four or five years after 

 tiie fecond eruption mentioned by Thucydidcs. 



Xi^osVo-' AiVvx, TaK?;; 

 Xiovo,- <j|s<Vo TlSuvSi" &x. 



Pythia. Od, i. v. 36. kc. p. 168. 

 Ed. Weft and Welfted. 



Now under fulph'rous Cuma's fea-bound coaft, 

 And vail Sicilialies his fhaggy breaft ; 

 By fnowy ^tua, nurfe of endlels froft. 

 The pillar'd prop of Heav'n, for ever prefs'd : 

 Forth from whole nitrous caverns ifluing rife 

 Pure liquid fountains of tempeftuous fire. 

 And veil in ruddy mills the noon-day (kics. 

 While wrapt in fmoke the eddying flames afpire ; 

 Or gleaming thro' the night with hideous roar. 

 Far o'er the red'ning main huge rocky fragments pour. 

 G. Weft's tranllation. Odes of Pindar, vol. i. p. ^6, 



i2mo. Sec. 



They arc alfo defcribed by Virgil, in confequence of the 

 Crtiption which happened, according to Mr. Oldenburg 

 fubi infra) at the time of the expedition of iEneas, who, 

 being terrified with the fire of this burning mountain, lelt 

 Sicily. 



■ Hon'ificis juxta tonat TEtna ruinis, 



Interdumque atramprorumpit ad ^thera nubem, 

 Turbine fumantem piceo et candente faviila ; 

 , Adtolhtque globos flammarum, et Sidera lambit ; 

 Interdum fcopulos avolfaque vifcera moutis 

 Erigit eruftans, liqueladta faxa fub auras 

 Cum gcmitu glomerat, fundoque exa;ftuat irao. 



/Eiieid. 1. iii. v. 571, &c. torn. ii. p. 433, &c, 

 Ed. Burman. 



The philofophical poet, Lucretius, has alfo mentioned thfi 

 eruptions of ^tna. 



Per fauces montis ut jEtnse 



Exfpirent ignes interdum turbine tanto, 

 Expediam : neque enim mediocri clade co'orta 

 FlamniiC tempeflas, Siculum dominata per agios 

 Finitumis ad fe convertit gentibus ora ; 

 Fumida quom cocli fcintillare omnia templa 



CemeiUes, 



