40 
ETNA. 
the year 253, and another in 420, The eruption which 
happened in the reign of Charlemagne, A. D. 812, is re¬ 
corded by Geoffroy ofViterbo in his chronicle. In 1169, 
Sicily was ditiurbed by a violent earthquake, which ex¬ 
tended to Reggio, on the Oppofite fide of the ftrait. Ca¬ 
tania was deftroyed by it, and 15,000 perfons perifhed. 
On this occafion old rivers difappeared, and new ones 
burft out ; and the ridge of Etna fell on the fide near 
Taormina. The fpring of Arethufa became muddy and 
brackiflt ; and the fountain of Ajo ceafed to flow for two 
hours-, and then gullied forth more abundantly than be¬ 
fore. The fea at Medina- retired far within its ufual li¬ 
mits, and then overflowed its ordinary banks, and fwal- 
lowed up a number of perfons, who had fled to the fiiore 
for fafety. Corn and trees of a'l forts were deftroyed, and 
the fields were covered with (tones fo as to become unfit 
for cultivation. 
From the year nfio, or as fome fay 1157, to 1169, 
Sicily repeatedly fuffered from earthquakes and eruptions. 
This was followed by another eruption in 118r or 1184, 
when dreams of fire ran down the declivity of the moun¬ 
tain : and in 1329 the inhabitants of the mountain and of 
the whole ifland were alarmed by the commotions and 
noifes of Etna, and by the flames and flones, and other 
attendants of an eruption, which fucceeded them. On 
this occafion a new crater was opened, and the flaming 
matter that was difgorged from it overfpread the adjacent 
fields, deftroyed their buildings, and occafioned the death 
of birds and quadrupeds, and of the fifties of the rivers 
and contiguous parts of the fea. The aflies were carried 
as far as Malta, and many perfons are faid to have died 
of terror. In 1333, Etna made another terrible explofion, 
which was fucceeded by that of 1381, which extended its 
ravages to the confines of Catania, and burnt up the olive- 
yards in the neighbourhood of the city, and again by ano¬ 
ther in 1444, when the mountain ftiook and difeharged a 
quantity of lava, and large rocks were broken off from 
its fummit, and precipitated into the fea. Slight erup¬ 
tions occurred in 1446 and 1447 ; but the eruption of 
1536, after a ceffation of near a hundred years, was very 
dreadful in its appearance and effects,- and lafted for a 
confiderable time. A thick cloud, tinged with red, ho¬ 
vered over the fummit of the mountain, which was at¬ 
tended by a ftrong weft wind, and fucceeded by the dif- 
charge of a large quantity of burning materials, that 
rufhed with the noife and rapidity of a torrent down the 
eaftern fide of the mountain, and deftroyed buildings and 
animals that lay in its way. A fimilar ftream of liquid 
fire held its courfe towards the-weft, and did great da¬ 
mage. Several chafms were opened on the fides of the 
mountain, from which ftreams of ignited matter were 
thrown up to a great height into the air; and a learned 
phyfician, wliofe curiofity and defire of information led 
him to examine the eruption, was burnt to aflies by a 
volley of burning (tones. This continued with little in- 
termifiion for a whole year, and terminated by caufing the 
river Simetus fuddenly to overflow its banks, and carry off 
thofe who lived near it with their catttle and other pro¬ 
perty. The country near Paterno fuffered much ; and 
the neighbouring cattles, and more than five hundred 
houfes, were deftroyed by the ravages of the river. Etna 
was convulfedand rent infeveral places, and poured forth 
torrents of lava, which deftroyed the vineyards and gar¬ 
dens at the monaftery of St. Nicholas d’Arena, and pro¬ 
ceeded onwards fro Nicolofi, burnt Monpellieri and Fal- 
lica, and did great injury wherever it fpread. The 
commotions of Etna were fo great, that the fummit fell 
in with a tremendous noife, and the iliocks of the earth¬ 
quake that attended them were felt through the -whole 
ifland. The inhabitants were fo much diftreffed, that 
they appeared in mourning for a confiderable part of the 
year. In 1567 and 1579, the ravages of Etna were re¬ 
newed ; and from 1603 to 1636, its eruptions were occa- 
fjonally repeated, and torrents of lava flowed from it, 
which deftroyed the woods and vineyards in thofe parts to 
which they reached. In 1650, as Oldenburg informs us, 
the mountain burnt on the north fide, and produced creat 
devaftation. 
Carrera was witnefsof a dreadful conflagration in 166s, 
which lafted till the end of May, 1678. But the eruption 
of 1669 was the moil formidable, and the mod deftruiStive. 
Borelli, who was an eye witnefs of this cataftrophe, and 
fome Englifh merchants who were alfo upon the f’potand 
who examined its effects, of wliofe report we have a de¬ 
tailed account, in the Phil. Tranf. have minutely de- 
ferib^d the accefs, and progrefs,and ruinous confequences, 
of this eruption. It was preceded, for eighteen days, 
with a corrnfcuous fky, thunder and lightning, and fre¬ 
quent concuflions of the earth, which deftroyed many 
houfes in the village of Nicolofi, and difperfed its inha¬ 
bitants. T. he old crater on the fummit of Etna raged for 
two or three months before this event, in an unuftul 
manner ; and this was alfo the cafe with Volcano and 
Stromboli, two burning iftands to the weft of it. In the 
evening of the 1 ith of March, at the diftance of about 
twenty miles from the old mouth, and ten miles from Ca¬ 
tania, a clialin burft open in the eaft fide of the mountain ; 
which is faid to have been feveral miles (Borelli fays 
twelve) in length, and five orfix feet wide. This was not 
far from the place where Monte Roffo afterwards arofe, 
and extended in the direftion of trie grand crater of Etna. 
On the night following, in the place where this mountain 
now ftands, another large cleft opened, and feveral other 
chafms were formed in different parts of the mountain ; 
and there ifftied from all of them immenfe volumes of 
fmoke, accompanied with the ufual phenomena of thun¬ 
der and earthquake. From the principal chafm there if- 
fued the fame night a ftream of lava, which directed its 
courfe to a lake, called la Hurdia, about fix miles from 
Monpellieri, and in its w'ay deftroyed many dwelling- 
houfes and other buildings in the adjacent villages. The 
next day it moved towards a trad! of country, called 
Mai Palfo, inhabited by about 800 people, which, in the 
fpace of twenty hours was entirely depopulated and laid 
wafte ; the lava then changed its direction and deftroyed 
fome other villages. Monpellieri, and its inhabitants, 
were alfo deftroyed. On the 23d of March the ftream of 
lava was in fome places two miles broad, and extended 
itfeif to the village of Mazzalucia. On this day a new' 
gulf was opened, from which were difeharged fluid and 
aflies, which formed a hill with two fummits, two miles 
in circumference, and 150 paces high ; thefe confifted of 
ftones of different colours. The new mountain of Nico¬ 
lofi continued to difcliarge aflies for three months, in fuch. 
quantity as to cover the adjoining trad! of country for fif¬ 
teen miles. Some of thefe aflies were conveyed by the 
winds as far as Medina and Calabria ; and others fpread 
over the fouthern country, about Agofta, Lentini, and 
remoter parts. On the 25th of March the whole moun¬ 
tain, even to its higheft fummit, was agitated by a very 
violent earthquake. The higheft crater, or its loftieft 
eminence, then funk into the volcanic focus, and the fpot 
which it had occupied became a deep gulf, more titan a 
mile in extent, from which were thrown up enormous 
niaffes of fmoke, afhes, and ftones. At this time, it is 
faid, the famous block of lava on mount Frumento was 
difeharged from the volcanic focus. The torrent of lava, 
which ftill continued to flow, directed its courfe towards 
Catania ; it fir ft palled under its walls for a confiderable 
diftance into the fea, but afterwards accumulated and 
palled over them in feveral places. The gardens and 
grounds belonging to the convent of the Benedidtines 
were overwhelmed by it ; and by its taking this direction 
many buildings in the town efcaped. From hence it di¬ 
vided into feparate channels or ftreams, and flowed chiefly 
into the fea. The Englifli merchants fay, that it had 
overwhelmed in the upland country, fourteen towns and 
villages, fome of which contained three or four thoufand 
inhabitants, and flood in a fruitful country, where the fire 
had not before this time made any devaftation ; and they 
