2o6 Sir william Hamilton’s Account of 
Terra Nuova. If on a map of Italy, and with your compafs 
on tire Icale ot Italian miles, you were to meafure off 22, and 
then fixing your central point in the city of Oppido (which 
appeared to me to be the l’pot on which the earthquake had 
exerted its greateft force) form a circle (the radii of which, 
will be, as 1 juft laid, 22 miles), you will then include all the 
towns, villages, that have been utterly ruined, and the fpots 
where the greateft mortality lias happened, and where there 
have been the moft vilible alterations on the face of the earth. 
Then extend your compafs on the fame fcale to 72 miles, pre- 
ferving the lame center, and form another circle, you will in- 
clude the whole of the country that has any mark of having 
been affe&ed by the earthquake. I plainly oblerved a gra- 
dation in the damage done to the buildings, as alio in the de- 
gree of mortality, in proportion as the countries were more or 
lels diftant from this fuppofed center of the evil. One cir- 
cumftance I particularly remarked, if two towns were lituated 
at an equal diftance from this center, the one on a hill, the 
other on the plain, or in a bottom, the latter had always buf- 
fered greatly more bv the Ihocks of the earthquakes than the 
former ; a bufficient proof to me of the caufe coming from be- 
neath, as this mull: naturally have been productive of fuch 
an effect. And I have reafon to believe, that the bottom of 
the fea, being fill nearer the volcanic caufe, would be found 
(could it be feen) to have buffered even more than the plain itfelf ; 
but (as you will find in moft of the accounts of the earthquake 
that are in the prebs, and which are numerous) the philobo- 
phers, who do not eafily abandon their ancient lyftems, make 
the prelent earthquakes to proceed from the high mountains of 
the Apennines that divide Calabria Ultra, fuch as the Monte 
Dejo, Monte Caulone, and Alpramonte ; I would alk them 
this 
