• • m 
Earthquake in Calabria, March 28, 1785. 
levelled mountains, immenle breaks in the earth, new collec- 
tions of waters, old rivulets funk in the earth and difperfed, 
rivers flopped in their courfe, foils levelled, fmall mountains 
which exifted not before formed, plants rooted up, and carried 
to conliderable diftances from their firft fite, large portions of 
earth rolling about through conliderable diftricts, animals and 
men fwallowed up by the earth — but I abftain from entering 
into a minute account of thefe difafters ; your excellency will 
lee them with your own eyes, and aflifled by the relations of 
ocular and faithful witnefles, no doubt, form a faithful hiftory 
of them. One thing, however, I may not forbear to com- 
municate, and that is, that of all thefe calamities the 
greatefl and moft extraordinary was that which happened on 
the banks of Scilla and Bagnara. That part of the lea which 
conflderably overflowed in thefe marlhes, and fwallowed 
up a great number of people who had taken refuge there, 
was fo hot that it fcalded feveral of thole who were faved. 
This I had from the mouth of the moft excellent Vicar 
General. 
But I will confine myfelf to a fhort narrative of the effeTs 
of the laft explofion of the twenty-eighth of March, 
which, without a doubt, muft have arifen from an inter- 
nal fire in the bowels of the earth in thefe parts, as it took 
place precilely in the mountains which crofs the neck of our 
peninlula which is formed by the two rivers, the Lameto which 
runs into the gulph of St. Euphemia, and the Corace, 
which runs into the Ionian fea, and properly into the bay 
of Squillace. That the thing was fo is evident from all the 
phenomena. 
This Ihock, like all the reft, came to us in the direction of 
the S.W. At firft the earth began to undulate, then it Ihook, 
and finally it moved in a vorticol'e direction, fo that many per- 
fons were not able to ftand upon their feet. This terrible con- 
cuffion lafted about ten feconds ; it was fucceeded by others 
which were lefs ftrong, of lefs duration, and only undulatory, 
fo that, during the whole night, and for half the next day, 
A 2 the 
