an Eruption of Mount Vefuvius. 6T 
their own fafety; or clouds of fmoke and allies, as is 
ufually the cafe in all great eruptions, mull: have fo far 
obfcured the volcano, as to exhibit only a confufed mafs 
of fire and fmoke.. 
Whilft we had been enjoying the extraordinary fight 
of this gigantic fountain of liquid fire in perfect fafety, 
the unfortunate inhabitants of the other fide of the 
mountain of Somma, particularly at Ottaiano andGaccia- 
bella, were involved in that dark and footy cloud which 
formed fo proper a back ground to our bright pidture, 
and were pelted with ftones and fcoria of lava; but I fliall 
prefently give you a particular defcription of their truly 
diflrefsful lituations, juft as I had it from many of the 
poor fufferers themfelves,. when I vifited that part of the 
country a few days after this eruption. 
Monday, Auguft the 9th, about nine o’clock in the 
morning, the fourth fever-fit of the mountain began to 
manifeft itfelf by the ufual fymptoms, fuch as a fubter- 
raneous boiling noife, violent explofions of inflamed 
matter from the crater of the volcano, accompanied with 
fmoke and allies, which fymptoms increafed every in-- 
ftant. The fmoke was of two forts ; the one as white as 
fnow, and the other as black as jet. 
The white, as defcribed in the former part of this 
journal, rolled gently mafs over mafs, refembling bales 
of 
