184 Sir william Hamilton's Account of 
either alive or dead under the ruins of their houfes in an infhant. 
The town of Poliftene was large, but ill fituated between two 
rivers, fubjedt to overflow. 2100 out of about 6000 loft their 
lives here the fatal 5th of February. The Marquis St. Giorgio, 
the baron of this country, whom I found here, was well em- 
ployed in aftifting his tenants. He had caufed the ftreets of 
his ruined town to be cleared of rubbifh, and had erefted bar- 
racks on a healthy lpot near it, for the remainder of his fub- 
jefts, and on a good plan. He had alfo conftrufted barracks 
of a larger fize for the (ilk-worms, which I found already at 
work in them. This prince’s activity and generofity is moft 
praife-worthy, and, as far as I have feen hitherto, he is with- 
out a rival. I obferved, that the town of St. Giorgio, on a 
hill about two miles from Poliftene, though rendered uninha- 
bitable, was by no means levelled like the towns in the plain. 
There was a nunnery at Poliftene ; being curious to fee the 
nuns that had efcaped, I alked the marquis to (hew me their 
barracks; but, it feems, only one out of twenty-three had been 
dug out of her cell alive, and (he was fourlcore years of age. 
After having dined with the marquis in his humble barrack, 
near the ruins of his very magnificent palace, I went through 
a fine wood of olive, and another of chefnut trees, to Cafal 
Nuovo, and was (hewn the fpot on which ftood the houfe of 
my unfortunate friend the princefs Gerace Grimaldi, who with 
more than four thoufand of her fubje&s loft her life by the 
fudden explofion of the 5th of February (for fo it appears to 
have been) that reduced this town to atoms. I was told by 
fome here, who had been dug out of the ruins, that they felt, 
their houfes fairly lifted up, without having had the leaft 
previous notice. In other towns fome walls and parts of 
houfes are (landing ; but here you neither diftinguilh ftreet or 
houfe, 
