SARTHaUAKES IN SICILY, &C. 
173 
““SC. ^ 
'*^'ch' population of the town of Polistene, 
badly situated between two rivers, subject to 
'*Ua|s ^ .'heir banks, two thousand one hundred iiidivi- 
'^Sviog “'shed, o'tt of six lliousand. It was built near a 
?''4, Srcat depth ; aiid, by the violent motion of the 
, VJ ^ y liiiLtj J r -r— - -- 
icr^bi portions of the 'ground on which a con- 
“f in, part of ihe town, consisting of several hundreds 
stood, wore detached into the ravine, and nearly 
% * " ... ... .. .. . 
to the distance of about half a mile from iheir 
“ill What was most extraordinary, many ot 
•?.' lea,. • of these houses, who had taken this singu- 
v"' were dug out alive, and several unhurt. 
Nilfgjtt.O'’!' lost tlirec-fourths of a population of sixteen 
’"habitants j and ne;u- to this town, and to the 
acres of land, covered with trees and coru- 
^'tho been detached and thrown into the latter, often 
cro ““’’’"g been overturned, insomuch that the trees 
'““ 0 . '’A "'■ere growing as well as if they had been planted 
®"eh pieces of ground were lying in the 
C^QVpi!''" Inclined situation^ and others, again, w'pre 
"rned. Two immense portions of land, having 
^4 
Opposite to each othei*, tilled the valley, 
the course of the river, the -waters of which 
Ha ‘ ' ■ ■ 
lake. 
Nnail yalked 
Sir 'William 
over tlie rums ot Oppido, 
N In. “’"to the ravine, which he carefully examined. 
Prodn^^ the wonderful force of the earthquake, which 
% X, "ced exardv iiio c!imf> pft-ppt. as in the ravine of 
?4 
I 
exactly the same effects 
t ““s but on a scale infinitely greater. The enot- 
s3e, of tlie plain, detached from each side of the 
K>havitf confused heaps, forming real mountains; 
<jf stopped the course of two rivers, great lakes 
W surf ■ occasionally met with a detached piece 
plain, many acres in extent, with the 
“f olive-trees, having lupins and corn beneath 
““ well, and in as good order at the bottom 
uie 
ii|m ■ us their companions, from whom they 
fbe plain, at least five hundreil feet 
\t ^“"tir distance of about three-quarters ot a 
'lit the ''’"'’yards, which had taken a similar journey, 
'“’■'iue order in the bottom, in another part of 
■ Was a mountain, composed of a clayey soil- 
had 
