their Philofophical Tranfadtions, and your Lordfhip’s 
commands in your letter of the 3d initant, encourage 
me to trouble you with a plain narrative of what 
came immediately under my obfervation during the 
late violent eruption, which began October 19, 1767, 
and is reckoned to be the 27th fince that, which, 
in the time of Titus, deftroyed Herculaneum and 
Pompeii. 
The eruption of 1766 continued in fome degree 
till the 10th of December, about nine months in all, 
yet in that fpace of time the moutain did not call 
up a third of the quantity of lava, which it difgorged 
in only feven days, the term of this laft eruption. 
On the 15th of December, laft year, within the 
ancient crater of Mount Vefuvius, and about twenty 
feet deep, there was a cruft, which formed a plain, 
not unlike the folfaterra in miniature ; in the midft 
of this plain was a little mountain, whofe top did 
not rife fo high as the rim of th© ancient crater. 
I went into this plain, and up the little mountain, 
which was perforated, and ferved as the principal 
chimney to the volcano ; when I threw down large 
ftones, I could hear that they met with many ob- 
ftrudtions in their way, and could count a hundred 
moderately before they reached the bottom. 
Vefuvius was quiet till March 1767, when it be- 
gan to throw up ftones, from time to time ; in April 
the throws were more frequent, and at night fire was 
vilible on the top of the mountain ; or, more pro- 
perly fpeaking, the fmoak, which hung over the 
crater, was tinged by the reflection of the lire 
within the volcano. Thefe repeated throws of cin- 
ders, afhes, and pumice ftones, encreafcd the little 
5 - mountain 
