Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 7, ETM-GOA

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Etna, they advanced; but the adjoining fields aflumed a more
**■*""*—“-' fmiling afpedt. The reafon of this is, that the tor¬
rents of lava (by which the plains are rendered unfit
for vegetation for a great number of years) have rolled
rapidly down the more fteep fides of the mountain
without deftroying the fertility sf the foil.
Travelling through very difficult roads, and often
incommoded with dangerous precipices, our author at
jy laft. arrived at the celebrated chefnut-tree, which was
Great num-the chief objedt of this j®urney. He obferves, that
tier-of chef-all over this fide of the mountain the chefnut trees
nuts trees ^iirjTC very well, and are carefully cultivated by the in-
on this fide habitants. They are worked into hoops for calks, and
of Ktna. a confiderable trade is carried on in this article. The
[ 5 1
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which has fome flight refemblance to a ffiip. Its dia- Etntv
meter is 25 feet, fo that the circumference cannot' be * mmmJ
lefs than 75. In thefe extenfive forefls, however, there
are chefnut trees of every age and fize. 2s
Out* Author’s next vifit was paid to a fnow grotto, ®tK’w
being one of thofe magazines where that article, fo ne-^e cri”
cefiary in the hot climate of Sicily, is preferved for ufe. 23
In his way thither he vifited the foreft of pines ; which Fore ft of
is fo much furrounded by rocks and precipices, that it Ptnesm.th®
is fcarce acceffible ; and vail numbers of the trees are *
dying of old age^ Some of the neighbouring peafants,
however, will now and then attempt to cayry them off.
Our author faw one of them at this work. It was
draws by oxen, who were yoked to it by a chain con-
18 great one which he came to vifit, exceeds the fize of nedled with the beam by art iron cramp. But the ex-
^c'mntof other trees fo much that it cannot fail to excite the
tfee great admiration. It has its name from the follow,
tree. ing circumftance. Jean of Arragon fpent fome time
in Sicily on her way from Spain to Naples: While
here, Ihe vifited Mount Etna, attended by her princi¬
pal nobility ; and happening to be overtaken by a
ftorm, they took Ihelter under this tree, whofe
branches were fufficiently extenfive to cover them all.
By others, however, this ftory is treated as a mere
fable.
According to our author’s account, this chefnut
tree is 160 feet in circumference, but quite hollow
within • which, however, affedls not its verdure ; for
the chefnut tree, like the willow, depends upon its
bark for fubfiftence, and by age lofes its internal part.
As the cavity of this enormous mafs is very confider¬
able, the people have built an houfe in it, where they
n thehave an oven for drying nuts, almonds, and chefnuts,
*9
An houfe
built 11
hollow of
&c. of which they make conferves. They frequently
fupply themfelves with wood from the tree which in¬
circles their houfe, fo .that it feems likely, in a Ihort
time, to go to ruin through the ingratitude and
thoughtleflhefs of its inhabitants.
Is not com- h3S been thought that this tree was compofed of a
pofed of a number of others grown together; but our author is of
number of a different opinion. In deferibing it particularly, how-
{’™wnever, we mult feparate it from the trunks i, /, (on the
plan), which properly belong to three other trees. The
together.
treme roughnefs of the road made the tree leap and
bound in fuch a manner, that the poor creatures were
every moment in danger of having their legs broken, or
being hurried over precipices along with their driver ;
accidents which happen not unfrequently, and which
render this occupation lefs generally pradlifed than o~
therwife it would be.
The fnow grotto is but lately formed by the aftion
of the waters under the beds of lava, and carrying away
the ftratum of pozzolana below them. It is fituated
on a mount named Finocchio, which, though of very
confiderable fize, is only a protuberance on the fide of
Etna. It has been repaired in the infide at the ex¬
pence of the knights of Malta, who have hired this
as well as feveral other caverns‘in the mountain for the
purpofe of holding fnow, which they have Hill more
occafion for in their ifland than the inhabitants of Si¬
cily. There are two openings above, at which they
throw in the fnow ; .and flights of Heps have been cut
to thefe as well as'in the internal parts. A confider¬
able extent of ground is levelled and inclofed with high
walls above the grotto ; fo that when the wind, which
at this elevation blows with great violence, carries the
fnow down from the higher parts of the mountain, it
is Hopped and detained by the walls of this inclofure.
It is then thrown into the grotto, where the thicknefs
of the beds of lava which cover it prevents any impref-
fion from the fummer-heat. When the feafon for ex- How the
CLXXXV. dotted line, and the letters a, b, c, d, e,f,g, mark out portation comes on, the fnow is put into large bagf,
Other tre:
of vaft di-
aaejifions.
the tyue circumference of the tree we fpeak of. The
parts of that circumference are not all contiguous, fe¬
veral pieces having been taken away from the places
marked g and s, between which the houfe Hands. In
other places the bark is rent afunder ; but, fays our
author, “by a natural motion, the divided parts,
feeking to reunite, or rather to {belter themfelves from
the adlion of the external air, are bent inwards fo as to
form the circular arcs a, b} c, d, which may indeed be
taken for fo many different trees, though they appear
properly to belong to the fame trunk,
s Befides this, there are abundance of other trees in
the neighbourhood very remarkable* for their fize.
Our traveller was fiiown a number of young trees of
the fame fpecies, all very beautiful and Hraight, and
almoH as fmooth as polifhed marble. One of thefe
was 38 feet in circumference, and there were a num¬
ber of others neatly of the fame fize. Among thefe
there were feven Handing together, which have recei¬
ved the name of the ftven brethren. Another is deno¬
minated the (hip} from the general figure of its top,
and preffed into them as clofe as poffible. Thus it is™eJtjng
rendered compadl and heavy, and likewife runs lefs rilk jurina; ex-
of being affedted Isy the heat. It is then carried out portatiosu
upon mens fhoulders, and conveyed to the fiiore on
mules. Before it is put into the bags, the lumps of
fnow are carefully wrapped up in leaves, which is ano¬
ther prefervative ; at the fame time that the frefh con¬
gelation of the little which melts, unites the maffes
fo together, that our author infonns us he has* feen
pieces of the fnow preferved in this manner which look¬
ed like the faireH and moH tranfparent cryfial. 25
Our author’s next excurfion was to Mount Roffo, Ace mot¬
or the Red Mountain, which is one of the mouths of
Etna, and through which it difeharges from time to
time great quantities of lava, fand, allies, &c. It is
the moH celebrated of all the numerous mouths which
have opened on the fide of the mountain, though it has
become fo noted only for having poured forth the
matter of the great eruption in 1669, and which is the
moH remarkable of any recorded in hifiory.
“ When a new crater (fays our author) is formed!