the 'Earthquakes in Italy in 1783. ' 18^ 
giving a fatisfa&ory and ample account of the late calamity fa 
the publick ; but unlefs they attend, as I did, to the nature of 
the foil of the local where thole accidents happened, their re- 
ports will generally meet with little credit, except from thofe 
who are profeflfed dilettanti of miracles, and many fuch do cer- 
tainly exift in this country. I met with a remarkable inftance 
here of the degree of immediate d iff refs to which the unfortu- 
nate inhabitants of the deflroyed towns were reduced. Don 
Marcello Grillo, a gentleman of fortune, and of great landed 
property, having efcaped from his houfe at Oppido, which was 
deflroyed by the earthquake, and his money (no lefs than 
twelve thou fan d pieces of gold) having been buried under the 
ruins of it, remained feveral days without food or Ihelter 
during heavy rains, and was obliged to a hermit in the neigh- 
bourhood for the loan of a clean fhirt. Having walked over 
the ruins of Oppido, I defcended into the ravine, and exa- 
mined carefully the whole of it. Here I faw r indeed, the 
wonderful force of the earthquake, which has produced exactly 
the fame effedls as I have defcribed in the ravine of Terra 
Nuova, but on a fcale infinitely greater. The enormous maffes 
of the plain, detached from each lide of the ravine, lye fometimcs 
in con fufed heaps, forming real mountains, and having flopped 
the courfe of two rivers (one of which is very confiderable) 
great lakes are already formed, and, if not affifled by nature or 
art, fo as to give the rivers their due courfe, muff infallibly 
be the caufe of a general infe&ion in the neighbourhood. 
Sometimes I met with a detached piece of the furface of the 
plain (of many acres in extent) with the large oaks and 
olive-trees, with lupins or corn under them, growing as well, 
and in as good order at the bottom of the ravine, as their com- 
panions, from whom they were feparated, do on their native 
foil 
