Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 7, ETM-GOA

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ful feverity.” The north winds, which blew at the
time, carried the afhes as far as Malta. Many -perfons
of both fexes died of terror.
16. Scarce had foilf years elapfed after this terrible
event, when Etna made a new exple/fien, and dif-
charged vollies of ftones, ‘Cabling the ‘neighbouring
fields to tremble. This happened in the year 133S-
17. Forty-eight years after ‘this, bh the 25th bf
Auguft 1381, an eruption from Etna fpread its rava¬
ges over the confines of the territory of Catania, and
burnt up the olive-yards in the neighbourhood of that
city.
18. In the year 1444, 63 years after the laft erup¬
tion, a torrent of lava ilfued from Etna and ran to¬
wards Catania. The mountain Ihook; and fhe lhbcks
were fo violent, that feveral huge maffes of rock were
broken from its fummit, and hurled into the abyfs
with a tremendous noife.
19. After this Etna was fcarce at reft for 18 months
or 2 years. On Sunday the 25th of September 1446,
about an hour after fun-fet, an eruption iffued from
the place called La Pietra di Mazarra. This erup¬
tion was foon over.
20. On the following year, 1447, on the 21ft of
September, there was another, with a good deal of
fire ; but this eruption was likewife of fhort dura¬
tion.
21. Etna now ceafed to emit fife, and that for a
Confiderable time. The neighbouring inhabitants not
only afcended to the fummit of the mountain, but
even, if we may credit accounts, went down info the
fiery gulph, and believed the volcanic matter to be now
exhaufted : But on the 25th of April 1536, near a
century from the flight eruption m 1447, a ftrong
wind arofe from the weft, and a thick cloud, reddilh
in the middle, appeared over the fummit of the moun¬
tain. At the very fame inftant a large body of fire
ifiued from the abyfs, and fell with the noife and rapi¬
dity of a torrent along the eaftern fide of the moun¬
tain, breaking down the rocks, and deftroying the
flocks and every other animal that was expofed to its
fury. From the fame crater, bn the fummit of the
mountain, there ifiued at the fame time a ftfeam of
fire more terrible than the other, and held its eourfe
towards the weft. It run over Bronte, Adrans, and
Caftelli. It confifted entirely of fulphur and bitu¬
men. On the fame day the church of St Leon, Which
flood in a wood, was firft demolifhed by the (hocks
of the earthquake, and its ruins after that confumed
by the fire. Many chafms were opened in the fides
of the mountain ; and from thofe iffued fire and burn¬
ing ftones, which darted up into the air with a noife
like that produced by a fmart difcharge of artillery.
Francis Negro de Piazza, a celebrated phyfician, who
lived at Lentini, wifhing to have a nearer view of the
eruptions, and to make fome obfervations which he
thought might be of confequence, was carried off and
burnt to allies by a volley of the burning ftones. This
conflagration of Etna lafted fome weeks.
22. In lefs than a year, on the 17th of April 1537,
the river Simeto fwelled fo amazingly as to overflow
the adjacent plains, and carry off the country people and
their cattle and other animals. At the fame time, the
country around Paterno, the neighbouring caftles, and
‘more than .500 houfes, were deftroyed by the ravages
1 ] E T N
of the river; and moft df ‘the wood was torn up
by the roots by violent b'lafts of Wind. Thefe rava¬
ges of the elements Were occdfioned by Etna, which
on the nth of the'following month Was rent in
feveral places, difclofing fiery gulphs, -and pouring
out :a deluge of fire in more terrible tdrrents than thofe
of the preceding year. They dire&ed their coutfe to¬
wards the mdnaftery of St Nicholas d’Arena-; deftroy¬
ed the gardens and vineyards; -and proceeding onwards
towards Nicolofi, burnt Montpellieri and Fallica, and
deftreyed the vineyards and moft of the inhabitants.
When the conflagration ceafed, the -fummit of (he
mountain funk inwards with fuch a noife, that all
the people in the iflahd believed the laft day to be
arrived, and prepared for their end by extreme unc¬
tion. Thefe dreadful diftutbances continued through the.
whole year, more efpecially in the months of July and
Auguft, during which all Sicily was in mourning. Thfe
fmoke, the noife, and the (hocks of the earthquake,
affefted the whole ifland; and if Filotes may be be¬
lieved, who relates this event, many of the Sicilian^
were (truck deaf by thte noife. Many ftrudturefc
were demoliftied ; and among others the caftle of
Corleonfe, though more than 25 leagues diftant froift
the volcano.
23. During the fueceeding 30 years there Was no
difturbance of this nature. At the end of that fpace,
Sicily was alarmed by a new eruption from the moun¬
tain. Etna difcharged new ftreafns of fire, and cover¬
ed the adjacent country with volcanic afties, which en¬
tirely ruined the hopes of the hufbandman.
24. In the year 1579, Etna renewed its ravages ;
but no particular account of the damage which it did
upon this occ&fion has been tranfmitted to us.
25. Twenty-five years had elapfed, when Etna, id
the month of June 1603, "flamed with new fury. Pe¬
ter Carrera affirms, that it continued to emit flames
for the fpace of 33 years, till 1636, without'interrup¬
tion, but not always with the fame violence. In 1607,
the dreams of lava which flowed from it deftroyfed the
woods and vineyards on the weft fide of the mountain.
In 1609, they turned their couffe towards Aderfib,
and deftroyed a part of the foreft del Pino, and a part
of the Wood called la Sciawbrlta/ With many vineyards
in the diftrift Coiterna. Thofe torrents of lava con¬
tinued to flow for three months. In the year 1614,
a new effort of the fubterraneous fire opened another
crater, from which fire was difcharged on Randazzo,
in the diftricft called il Pin. The fire Continued to
flame for 1 o or 12 years longer.
26. The fame Peter Carrera relates, that a dreadful
conflagration happened in the year 1664, of which he
himfelf Was witnefs. It happened on the 13th of De¬
cember, and lafted without interruption, but with dif¬
ferent degrees of violence, till the end of May 1678.
But in 1869 the inhabitants of Nicolofi were obli¬
ged to forfake their houfes, which tumbled down foon
after they left them. The crater on the fummit of
Etna had not at this time a threatening dfpeft, and
every thing there continued quiet till the 25th of
March : but on the 8th of that month, an hour be¬
fore night, the air was obferved to become dark over
the village la Pedara and all that neighbourhood;
and the inhabitants of that country thought that an
almoft total eclipfe was taking place. Soon after fun-
£ 2 fet,