the Earthquakes in Italy in 1783. 199 
degree. Betides, the mortality at Medina does not exceed 700 
out of upwards ot 30,000, the luppofed population of this 
city at the time ot the firft earthquake, which circumdance is 
conclufive. I found, that fome houfes, nay a dreet or two, at 
Medina, were inhabited, and fome diops open in them ; but 
the generality of the inhabitants are in tents and barracks, 
w hich, h aving been placed in three or lour difterent quarters, in 
fields and open fpots near the town, hut at a great didance one 
from the other, mud: be very inconvenient for a mercantile 
town ; and unlefs great care is taken to keep the dreets of the 
barracks, and the barracks themfelves, clean, 1 fear that the 
unfortunate Medina will be doomed to fuffer a frefh calamity 
from epidemical diforders, during the heat of fummer. In- 
deed, many parts of the plain of Calabria feem to be in the 
fame alarming dtuation, particularly owing to the lakes, which 
are forming from the courfe of rivers having been dopped, 
fome of which, as I faw myfelf, were already green, and 
tending to putrefaction. I could not help remarking here, that 
the nuns, who likewife live in barracks, were condantly walk- 
ing about, under the tuition of their confeflor, and feemed 
gay, and to enjoy the liberty the earthquake had afforded them, 
and I made the fame obfervation with refpeCt to fchool-boys at 
Reggio ; fo that in my journal, which I wrote in hade, and 
from whence I have as hadily tranferibed the imperfeCt account 
I fend you, the remark dands thus : “ Earthquakes particu- 
larly pleafmg to nuns and fchool-boys” Out of the cracks on 
the quay, it is faid, that during the earthquakes fire had been 
feen to idue (as many I fpoke with atteded) ; but there are no 
vifible figns of it, and I am perfuaded it was no more than, as 
in Calabria, a vapour charged with eleClrical fire, or a kind of 
inflammable air. A curious circumdance happened here alfo, 
to 
