[ 39 ] 
doubt left with refped to the country I have been 
defcribing having been thrown up in a long feries of 
ages by various explofions from fiibterraneous fire. 
Surely there are at prefent many exifting volcanos in 
the known world j and the memory of many others 
have been handed down to us by hiftory. May there 
not therefore have been many others of fuch ancient 
dates as to be out of the reach of hiflory ? 
Such wonderful operations of nature are certainly 
intended by all-wife Providence for fome great pur- 
pofe. They are not confined to any one part of the 
globe, for there are volcanos exiffing in the four 
quarters of it. We fee the great fertility of the foil 
thrown up by explofion, in part of the country I have 
defcribed, which on that account was called by the 
ancients Campania Felix. The fame circumffance is 
evident in Sicily, juflly efleemed one of the moft 
fertile fpots in the world, and the granary of Italy., 
May not fubterraneous fire be confidered as the great 
plough (if I may be allowed the expreffion) which 
nature makes ufe of to turn up the bowels of the earth, 
and afford us ffefh fields to work upon, whilfh we 
are exhaufling thofe we are adlually in poffeffion of, 
by the frequent crops we draw from them ? Would 
it not be found, upon enquiry, that many precious 
minerals muft have remained far out of our reach, 
had it not been for fuch operations of nature ? It is 
evidently fo in this country. But fuch great enquiries 
would lead me far indeed. I will only add a re- 
fledlion, which my own little experience in this branch 
of natural hiflory furnifhes me with. It is, that we 
are apt to judge of the great operations of nature on 
too confined a plan.. When firft 1 came to Naples,, 
my 
