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XXXIII. An RxtraEi of a Letter ^ritte7i 
by the Magijirates of the City of Mafcali, 
m Sicily, and fent frotn their public Offce 
to Naples, concerning a late Eruption of 
Mount ^tna. Tra?tfated from the Ita- 
lian. 
Mafcali, March 12, 1755. 
Read May funday the ninth of this March, 
*755- about noon, Mount ^tna began to 
caft from its mouth a great quantity of flame and 
fmoke, with a mofl horrible noife. At four of the 
clock on the fame day the air became totally dark, and 
covered with black clouds ^ and at fix a fhower of 
ftones, each of which weighed about three ounces, 
began to fall, not only all over the city of Mafcali, 
and its territory, but all over the neighbourhood. 
This fhower continued till a quarter after feven ; fo 
that by the darknefs of the air, the fall of ftones, 
and the horrible erudfations of the mountain, the 
day of judgment feemed to fome to be at hand. 
After the ftones had ceafed falling, there fucceeded a 
fhower of black fand, which continued all the re- 
mainder of the night. The next morning, which 
was monday, at eight of the clock there fprung from 
the bottom of the mountain, as it were, a river of 
water, which, in the fpace of half a quarter of an 
hour, not only overflowed to a confiderable difliance 
the rugged land, that is near the foot of the hill, but, 
upon the waters luddenly going off, levelled all the 
roiighnefs and inequalities of the furface, and made 
VoL. 49. E e the 
