( '55 ) 
quite inverted, that the Top came to hand upon the 
Ground. 
About two Miles off from the City of Mena , lies a 
Lake full of a bituminous, fulphureous and combuftible 
Matter, formerly famous under the Title of Lacus 
Talicorum . Upon this Lake there was obferv’d, the 
very Day of the Earthquake, about a Quarter of an Hour 
before the fecond Shock, a great red Flame, like a fiery 
Column of above three Yards perpendicular Height, 
which, during the Earthquake itfelf, on a fudden dif- 
appear’d. 
At dgofta, the Misfortune was fo much the greater, 
becaufe, befides all the dreadful Effefts of theEarthquake 
itfelf, the Powder-Magazine, in the Caftle, by fome 
ill Accident, and perhaps by the violent Fall over one 
another of the Stones of fome ruined Buildings (or by 
the breaking out offomefubterraneous Flame) unluckily 
took Fire, by which the whole Caftle was blown up 
with fucli a Fury, that fome of the Stones were car- 
ry^ as far as the Ifiand Thapfus, which is near 8 Ita- 
lian Miles diftant from Agofta. By this Accident pe- 
rifh’d 1840 Inhabitants. 
There remains ftill one thing worth obferving, and 
that is the very Rife and Progrefs of this terrible Sue- 
cuflion. It arofe in the South, and proceeded from 
thence towards the North. For it was firft obferved 
in the Ifiand of Malta then in the Southern Parts of 
Sicily • and laft, always with fome Difference as to the 
Time, ’in the Northern Parts of the fame Kingdom. 
But the Shakes were lefs violent, the more it approach’d 
to the North. For the reft’, it extended itfelf to far, 
that not only the Ifiand of Slalta , but ado Calabtia, 
and fome Parts in the Kingdom of Naples, participated of 
its F ury. 
Nor 
