52 Sir william Hamilton’s Account of 
ing the courfe it had taken: this train I perceived plainly 
from my villa, as it lafted fome minutes ; but I did not 
fee the globe itfelf. 
A poor labourer, who was making faggots on the 
mountain of Somma, loft his life at this time, and his 
body not having been found, it is fuppofed that, fuffo- 
cated by the fmoke, he muft have fallen into the valley 
from the craggy rocks on which he was at work, and 
been covered by the current of lava that took its courfe 
through that valley foon after. An afs, that was waiting 
for its mafter in the valley, left it very judicioufly as 
foon as the mountain became violent, and, arriving fafe 
home, gave the firft alarm to this poor man’s family. 
It was generally remarked, that the explofions of the 
Volcano were attended with more noife during this day’s 
eruption than in any of the fucceeding ones, when, moft 
probably, the mouth of Vefuvius was widened, and the 
volcanic matter had a freer paflage. It is certain, how- 
ever, that the great eruption of 1767 (which in every 
other refpedt was mild, when compared to the late vio- 
lent eruption) occafioned much greater concuffions in 
the air by its louder explofions. 
Friday, Auguft the 6th, the fermentation in the 
mountain was lefs violent ; but, about noon, there was a 
loud report, at which time it was fuppofed, that a portion 
of 
