Notice of Active and Extinct Volcanos. 275 



;; Four eruptions are recorded to have happened between this 

 period and the century immediately proceeding the Christian 

 era, during which latter epoch the mountain seems to have been 

 in a state of frequent agitation, so that it is noticed by the poets 

 among the signs of the anger of the gods at the death of Cassar. 



" After this for about a thousand years its eruptions are but 

 little noticed, but during the last eight centuries they have suc- 

 ceeded each other with considerable rapidity. Referring how- 

 ever to the chronological list of the eruptions of the mountain 

 for a specification of these, I shall here merely allude to such as 

 have produced some remarkable change in the character of the 

 country." 



" In the memorable eruption of 1669, a rent twelve inches in 

 length took place on the flank of the mountain above Nicolise, 

 about half way between Catania and the summit ; and from 

 this fissure descended a torrent of melted matter, which con- 

 tinued flowing for several miles, destroyed a part of Catania, 

 and at length entering the sea, formed a little promontory, 

 which serves to arrest the fury of the waves in that quarter ; 

 at the same time the accumulation of matters ejected, raised 

 on the mountain two conical hills called the Monti Mossi, 

 which measure at their base, about two Italian miles, and are 

 in height more than three hundred feet above the slope of the 

 mountain, on which they are placed," Ferrara. 



Professor Daubeny has given a table shewing the corres- 

 pondence in point of time between the eruptions of yEtna, Ve- 

 suvius and the other volcanos connected with them. 



The earliest eruption of Etna that is recorded, was about 

 480 years before Christ, and there were nine others before 

 that epoch, besides one of the Eolian Isles and one of Ischia. 

 Vesuvius had no eruption during this period nor is any previ- 

 ous one known although it is certain that there must have 

 been eruptions more ancient than any that are recorded of 

 Etna and the same remark may be made of Etna itself. 



From the birth of Christ to 1824, there were only six erup- 

 tions of Etna ; in the mean time there were nine of Vesuvius. 



In 1198, the Solfaterra was inflamed, and in 1302 there 

 was an eruption of Mount Epemeo in Ischia. From 1329 to 

 1719 there were forty-two eruptions of Etna, not quite one to 

 a century. Vesuvius gave in the same time, or rather from 

 1306 to 1822, forty-two eruptions; the ratio of time a little 

 more. 



