Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 1, A-AME

A E T [ 239 ] A E T
jEtna. reached the cultivated plains, which it overflowed for
v ^ a number of miles. Here it divided itfeif into feveral
branches, forming as many deep and rapid rivers j
which, after feveral other fubdivifions, difcharged them-
felves into the fea.
Though the mountain continued to difcharge water
in this manner only for half an hour, the ravages of it
\vere very terrible. Not only thofe of common inun¬
dations, fuch as tearing up trees, hurrying along rocks
and large Hones, took place 'here, but the itill more
dreadful effedls of boiling water were felt. Every
cultivated fpot was laid walle, and every thing touched
by it was deftroyed. Even thofe who were placed be¬
yond the reach of the torrent, beheld with inexpreflible
horror the deftruftion occafioned by it •, and though
the alarming noifes which had fo long iflued from the
mountain now ceafed in a great meafure, the (hocks
of earthquakes and the violent fmoke which continued
to iffue from the mountains, (bowed that the danger
was not over. Two new openings were notv obferved,
and two torrents of lava began to make their way
through the fnow.
On the 7th of March a dreadful noife was again
heard in the bowels of the mountain, and a new co¬
lumn of very thick and black (moke began to iffue
from it. A horrid explofion of fmall (tones fucceeded ;
fome of which were carried as far as the hills of Maf-
cali, and great quantities of black fand to Medina,
and even quite over the (trait to Reggio in Calabria.
On the ((lifting of the wind to the northward this
fand reached as far as the plains of Agofta. Two days
after the mountain opened again, and a new torrent of
lava was difcharged j which, however, advanced very
(lowly towards the plain, moving only at the rate of
a mile in a day. It continued to flow in this manner
for fix days, when every thing appeared fo quiet, that
the Canon Recupero fet out to view the changes which
had taken place.
urfe of That gentleman’s defign was to trace the courfe of
12 current the dreadful torrent of water above-mentioned. This
ced by jjg was very eafily enabled to do by the ravages it had
CUPero' made j and, by following the channel it had cut all
the way from the fea to the fummit of the volcano, he
found that this jmmenfe quantity of water had iffued
from the very bowels of the mountain. After iffuing
from the crater, and increafing its dream by pafling
through and melting the fnow which lay immediately
below the fummit, it deflroyed in an inflant a fine and
extenfive fored of fir-trees. All of thefe were torn up
by the violence of the current, though many were no
lefs than 24 or 30 inches in diameter. He obferved
that the great dream had, in its defcent, divided itfeif
into four branches j and thefe had again fubdivided
themfelves into feveral fmaller ones, eafily didinguidi-
able by the quantity of fand they had depofited. Af¬
terwards reuniting their dreams, they formed many
iflands, and rivers 900 feet in breadth, and of a depth
which could not eafily be determined. Proceeding
farther down, and dill forcing its way among the beds
of old lava, the channel of the waters was widened to
1500 feet, until it was again con trailed in the valleys
as before. Every objeft which dood in the way of
this tremendous torrent was moved from its place.
Enormous rocks were not only hurried down, but fe¬
veral of them moved to more elevated fituations than
thofe they formerly occupied. Whole hills of lava Atna.
bad been removed and broken to pieces, and their v
fragments fcattered along the courfe of the river, and
the valleys were filled up by vafi quantities of fand
which the waters had depofited. Our author obferved,
that even at the time he viiited the mountain, about
ten years after the eruption, the whole fide of it dill
bore the marks of this deluge.
On M. Houel’s arrival at Jaci Catena, he inquired
for the phyfician of the place ; it being cudomary for
drangers to do fo who want to learn any thing con- 1
cerning the curiofities of the country, as the phyfi-
cians there are generally thofe who have any preten-
fions to literature. By this guide he was (hown a Account of
well which they call Holy Water. There is a flight a remark-
of deps from the furface of the ground to that of the a^e wel-*
water. This well itfeif is 20 feet wide and 40 feet
deep. It is fupplied by three different fprings, each
of which is faid to have a peculiar tade. The phy¬
fician informed our author, that one of them refem-
bled milk in its tade j another tafled like foap ; and
the third had the tade of common water : but our au¬
thor, after lading each of them, could not. find any re¬
markable difference.
In his vray to La Trizza, our author difcovered Ancient
fome very ancient baths with doves. They had been baths dif-
built here on account of a fpring of warm fulphureous covered*
water, fuppofed to be excellent for the cure of cuta¬
neous diforders *, and for which purpofe they are (till
made ufe of. They are now called the Springs of St Springs of
Venera, of whom there is an image here. The form-St Venera,
tain from which they flow is on a level with the furface
of the ground. The water tades very difagreeably of
fulphur $ and depofites a quantity of white impalpable
powder, adhering to herbs and dones over which it
paffes. This fubdance our author calls the cream of
fulphur; though it is probably a felenitic fubdance
formed by the decompofition of the fulphur, and the
union of its acid with fome calcareous matter which
held it in folution before.
From this place our author proceeded to the fea-port Bafaltic
of Trizza, a fmall place, which with the adjacent coun- rocks about
try contains only about 300 inhabitants. Off the har- Trizza.
bour of this place is a bafaltic rock, which feems to
be only the remains of a much larger one dedroyed by
the aftion of the air. All round are long ranges of
bafaltes, the fpecies of which are very various.
The rocks of the Cyclops dand round the fmall har- Rocks of
bour of La Trizza; and from this view we perceive a the Cy-
number of rocks of very different heights. All of them c^0PSo
appear more or lefs above water, though fome are fo
low that they cannot be feen without approaching
very near ; and this circumdance renders the harbour
inacceffible to veffels of airy confiderable burden, at the
fame time that, by reafon off the depth of the fea, it
is impoflible either to cut or unite them by a mole.
The principal of thefe rocks is the extremity of an
ifland, one half of which is compofed of lava placed on
a balfatic bafe ; over this is a crud of pozzolana, com¬
bined with a kind of white calcareous matter of a
pretty hard and compaft confidence ; and which, by
the aftion of the air, affumes the appearance of knot¬
ty porous wood. On this fubjeft our author obferves,
that “ the rock at fome former period, had become
fo hard as to fplit, and the clefts were then filled up .