1 7 8 &> w i ll r a m h am ilton’s Account of 
this country has ever been fubjeft to earthquakes, the barons 
had ufually a barrack near their palace, to retire to on the leaffc 
alarm of an earthquake.. I ! inhabited here a magnificent one, 
confiding of many rooms well furnifhed, which was built by 
the prefent Duke of Monteleone’s grand-father. I owe the fafety 
and the expedition of the very interefting journey which I have 
taken through this province to this duke’s goodnefs, as he w$s 
pleafed at Naples to furnifh me with a letter to his agent; in 
confequence of which, I was not only mod; hofpitably and 
elegantly treated in his barrack, and fupplied with excellent 
fure-footed horfes for myfelf and fervant, but all'o with two 
of his horfe-guards, well acquainted withi the crofs roads of 
the country, without which it would have been impoflible,. 
with any degree of fafety, to have vifited every curious fpot 
between Monteleone and Reggio, as I did, in four days. No 
one, that has not had the experience, can conceive the horrid 
Rate of the roads in Calabria, even in this feafon, nor the fu- 
perior excellence of the horfes of the country. All agreed here 
that every fhock of the earthquake feemed to come with a 
rumbling noife from the wefhvard, beginning ufually with-, 
the horizontal motion, and ending with the vorticofe, which, 
is the motion that has ruined mod: of the buildings in this 
province. The fame obfervation I found to be a general one 
throughout this province. I found it a general obfervation alfo,. 
that before a fhock of an earthquake, the clouds feemed to be 
fixed and motionlefs ; and that immediately after a heavy* 
fhower of rain, a fhock quickly followed. I fpoke with many 
here and elfewhere, who were thrown down by the violence 
of fome of the fhocks ; and feveral peafants in the country told 
me, that the motion of the earth was fo violent, that the 
heads 
