the late Eruption of Mount Vesuvius. 83 
in the air, hut at Naples only the earthquakes of the 12th and 
15th of June were distinctly and universally felt : this fair city 
could not certainly have resisted long, had not those earth- 
quakes been fortunately of a short duration. Throughout this 
eruption, which continued in force about ten days, the fever 
of the mountain, as has been remarked in former eruptions, 
shewed itself to be in some measure periodical, and generally 
was most violent at the break of day, at noon, and at mid- 
night. 
About four o clock in the morning of the 16th, the crater of 
Vesuvius began to shew signs of being open, by some black 
smoke issuing out of it ; and at daybreak another smoke, tinged 
with red, issuing from an opening near the crater, but on the 
other side of the mountain, and facing the town of Ottaiano, 
shewed that a new mouth had opened there, and from which, 
as we heard afterwards, a considerable stream of lava issued, 
and ran with great velocity through a wood, which it burnt ; 
and having run about three miles in a few hours, it stopped 
before it had arrived at the vineyards and cultivated lands. 
The crater, and all the conical part of Vesuvius, was soon in- 
volved in clouds and darkness, and so it remained for several 
days ; but above these clouds, although of a- great height, we 
could often discern fresh columns of smoke from the crater, 
rising furiously still higher, until the whole mass remained in 
the usual form of a pine tree ; and in that gigantic mass of 
heavy clouds th eferilli, or volcanic lightning, was frequently 
visible, even in the day time. About five o'clock in the morn- 
ing of the 16th we could plainly perceive, that the lava which 
had first broke out from the several new mouths on the south 
Ms 
