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LXXVIII. Part of a Letter from Mr . John 
Parker, an Englifh Pamter at Rome, to 
hh Father at London, concerning the late 
Eruption of Mount Vefuvitis : Communi- 
cated by Mr. Henry Baker, F. R . S. 
Honoured Sir, Rome, Dec. 20, 1751. 
Read May z8,“|rpiAD the fatisfadiion, whilft at Naples- 
IL to fee the eruption of Mount Vefuvius* 
which was very extraordinary ; but the want of room 
here hinders me the giving you any very particular 
account. It lafled about ay days in all, and broke 
out of the fide of the mountain ; preceded by an 
earthquake, felt all over Naples at the time of the 
eruption. The mountain in the middle of the cra- 
ter or cup, which formerly threw out the (tones, 
funk down, with about a third of the bottom of the 
faid cup. 1 he breadth of the matter it threw out is 
in fome places half a mile over, in almoft the leafl 
part 60 feet ; and has filled a valley, into which it 
ran, that might be about do feet deep, and raifed a 
mountain in the fame place, of matter and afhes, 
about 50 feet high ; and its whole length, from the 
mouth to where it flopp’d, is about y miles ; but it did 
not arrive at the fea by near five miles. The matter, 
which is here called lava, feems to be compofed of 
iron, antimony, fulphur, and falts, and is not always 
of the fame colour, taile, £ 5 V. in every place. The 
thing I can compare it to moft, is the large cinders 
thrown out of your great iron works, but cover’d 
over in many places with the above falts and fulphur. 
Whilfl the lava run red-hot, I faw a man throw a 
mafe 
