[9 ] 
it is from hence chiefly, that his Sicilian majefly’s 
dock-yards are fupplied with timber. As this part of 
Etna was famous for its timber in the time of the 
tyrants of Syracufa, and as it requires the great 
length of time I have already mentioned before 
the matter is fit for vegetation, we may conceive 
the great age of this refpedtable volcano. The 
chefnut-trees predominated in the parts through 
which we palled, and, though of a very great fize, 
are not to be compared to fome on another part of 
the Regione Selvofa, called Carpinetto. I have been 
told by many, and particularly by our guide, who 
had meafured the largeft there, called La Caftagna 
di Cento Cavalli, that it is upwards of twenty-eight 
Neapolitan canes in circumference. Now as a Nea- 
politan cane is two yards and half a quarter, Englifh 
meafure, you may judge, fir, of the immenfe fize 
of this famous tree. It is hollow from age, but there 
is another near it almoft as large and found ; as it 
would have required a journey of two days to have 
vifited this extraordinary tree, and the weather be- 
ing already very hot, I did not fee it. It is amazing 
to me that trees fliould flourish in fo (hallow a foil, 
for they cannot penetrate deep without meeting with 
a rock of lava, and indeed great part of the roots of 
the large trees we paffed by are above ground, and 
have acquired, by the impreffion of the air, a bark 
like that of their branches. In this part of the 
mountain, are the finefl horned cattle in Sicily; we 
remarked in general that the horns of the Sicilian 
cattle are near twice the fize of any we had ever 
feen ; the cattle themfelves are of the common fize. 
We palled by the lava of the lafl eruption in the year 
Vol. LX. C 1766, 
