7 2 Sir WILLIAM HAMILTON’S ACCOUHt of 
fteps leading up to it, being deeply covered with vol- 
canic matter, refembled the cone of Vefuvius, and the 
white marble ftatues on the baluftrade made a lingular 
appearance peeping from under the black allies, which 
had entirely covered both the baluftrade and their pe- 
deftals. The roof of the palace was totally deftroyed, and 
the windows were broken; but the houfe itfelf, being 
ftrongly built, had not fuffered much. 
We had an opportunity of feeing here exadlly the 
quality of the dreadful fliower, as the volcanic matter, 
which broke through the roof of the palace, and fell into 
the garrets on the balconies and in the courts, had not 
been removed. It was compofed of the f cor in of frefh 
lava much vitrified, great and fmall, mixed with frag- 
ments of ancient folid lavas of different forts: many 
pieces were enveloped by the new lava, which formed a 
cruft about them ; and others were only flightly varnilhed 
by the frefh lava. Thefe kind of ftones being very com- 
pact, and fome weighing eight or ten pounds, mult have 
fallen with greater force than the heavier fcorin , which 
were very porous, and had the great furface above men- 
tioned. 
The palace of Ottaiano is built on a thick Jlratum of 
ancient lava, which ran from the mountain of Somma 
when in its adtive volcanic ftate. Under this Jlratum we i 
were 
