the late Eruption of Mount Vesuvius. jg 
past, by the great emission of scoriae and ashes from time to 
time, and which had also increased the height of the volcano, 
and nearly filled up its crater. The frequent slight eruptions 
of lava for some years past have issued from near the summit, 
and ran in small channels in different directions down the 
flanks of the mountain, and from running in covered chan- 
nels, had often an appearance as if they came immediately out 
of the sides of Vesuvius, but such lavas had not sufficient force 
to reach the cultivated parts atthe foot of the mountain. In 
the year 1779, the whole quantity of the lava in fusion having 
been at once thrown up with violence out of the crater of 
Vesuvius, and a great part of it falling, and cooling on its 
cone, added much to the solidity of the walls of this huge 
natural chimney, if I may be allowed so to call it,, and has 
not of late years allowed of a sufficient discharge of lava to 
calm that fermentation, which by the subterraneous noises 
heard at times, and by the explosions of scoriae and ashes, was 
known to exist within the bowels of the volcano ; so that the 
eruptions of late years, before this last, have, as I have said, 
been simply from the lava having boiled over the crater, the 
sides being sufficiently strong to confine it, and oblige it to 
rise and overflow. The mountain had been remarkably quiet 
for seven months before its late eruption, nor did the usual 
smoke issue from its crater, but at times it emitted small 
clouds of smoke, that floated in the air in the shape of little 
trees. It was remarked by the Father Antonio di Petrizzi, 
a capuchin friar {who has printed an account of the late eruption) 
from his convent close to the unfortunate town of Torre del 
Greco, that for some days preceding this eruption a thick vapour 
was seen to surround the mountain, about a quarter of a mile 
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