40 
A GIRA THROUGH SICILY. 
In his register of visitors were the names of some distin¬ 
guished travelers. I saw some few names of Americans of a 
recent date. Chief among those were Mr. E. Joy Morris and 
family, and Mr. Alexander Clements, of Washington, who 
made the ascent in company last spring a year ago ; and of 
a later date, I believe in May last, those of Professor Silliman 
and a party of friends, who had spent several days in a scien¬ 
tific tour in the neighborhood of San Nicolosi. The ascent 
of Mount Etna has been rendered much less difficult of late 
years than it formerly was, by the laudable exertions of Senor 
Gemmellaro in opening better mule paths, and removing 
many obstacles that formerly existed. All travelers unite in 
speaking highly of his hospitality and intelligence, and none 
will be disappointed in visiting his cabinet of volcanic curi¬ 
osities. 
Naturalists make four divisions of soil and production be¬ 
tween the base of the mountain, commencing at Catania, and 
the summit; the piedmonte , covering an extent of about 
eight miles, embracing villages, country residences or villas, 
vineyards and meadows ; the sebrosa, or nemorosa , five miles, 
producing pine trees and ilex, oaks, coarse grass, and wild 
flowers, but destitute of springs ; the scoperta, three miles in 
extent, mostly of sand and patches of wild plants ; and the 
deserta , three miles farther, extending to the summit, con¬ 
sisting almost entirely of lava, scoria, and ashes. 
Down to the present period there have been seventy-five 
eruptions, twelve of which were prior to the Christian era. 
That of 1669 destroyed a great number of villages, and did 
great damage to Catania; but in 1693 occurred the great 
eruption, accompanied by earthquakes, which destroyed sixty 
towns, including Catania. The latest eruptions were those 
of 1831, ’32, ’38, and ’42. It is not my province, however, 
to go into a history of these convulsions of nature, and their 
causes and effects. They have been described at great length 
in the works of many learned travelers who have visited this 
region, though much yet remains to he written, 
