380 Sir William Hamilton’s Defcription 
of nature. The naturalift may indeed decide as to the prefent 
quality of any natural production ; but it would be preemp- 
tion in him to decide as to its former ftates. As far as I can 
judge in this curious country, a&ive nature feems to be con- 
ftantly employed in compofing, decompofing, and recom^ 
pofing ; but furely for all-wife and benevolent purpofes, though 
on a fcale perhaps much too great and extenfive for our weak and 
limited comprehenfion. 
I have the honour to be, with great regard and efteem, &c. 
W. HAMILTON. 
POSTSCRIPT. 
THE earth is not yet fo perfectly quiet in Calabria and 
at Medina, as to encourage the inhabitants to begin to re- 
build their houfes, and they continue to live in wooden bar- 
racks. There has, however, been no earthquake of confe- 
quence during thefe laft three months. My conjecture, that 
the volcanic matter (which was fuppofed to have occasioned 
the late earthquakes) had vented itfelf at the bottom of the 
fea between Calabria and Sicily, feems to have been verified s 
for the pilot of one of his Sicilian Majefty’s fciabecques, hav- 
ing fome time after the earthquakes cart anchor off the point 
of Palizzi, where he had often anchored in twenty-five fathom 
water, found no bottom till he came to fixty-five fathom, and 
having founded for two miles out at fea towards the point of 
Spartivento in Calabria, he Hill found the fame confiderable 
alteration in the depth of the fea. The inhabitants of Palizzi 
like wife declare, that during the great earthquake of the 5 th of 
February, 1783, the fea had frothed and boiled up tremen- 
dou fly off their point* 
£ X P L A- 
