LETTER LXI.

Naples.

I

HAVE made two vifits to Mount Vefuvius, the firft in company with your acquaintance Mr. Nt. Leaving the carriage at Herculaneum, we mounted mules, and were attended by three men, whose business it is to accompany strangers up the mountain. Being arrived at a hermitage, called Il Salvatore, we found the road fo broken and rough, that we thought proper to leave the mules at that place, which is inhabited by a French hermit. The poor man must have a very bad opinion of mankind, to choose the mouth of Mount Vefuvius for his nearest neighbour, in preference to their fociety. From the hermitage we walked over various fields of lava, which have burft out at different periods. These feemed to be perfectly

perfectly well known to our guides, who mentioned their different dates as we paffed. The latest appeared, before we left Rome, about two months ago; it was, however, but inconfiderable in comparison of other eruptions, there having been no bursting of the crater, or of the fide of the mountain, as in the eruption of 1767, fo well described by Sir William Hamilton; but only a boiling over of lava from the mouth of the volcano, and that not in exceffive quantity; for it had done no damage to the vineyards or cultivated parts of the mountain, having reached no farther than the old black lava on which foil had not as yet been formed. I was furprised to see this lava of the last eruption still smoking, and in fome places, where a confiderable quantity was confined in a kind of deep path like a dry ditch, and fhaded from the light of the Sun, it appeared of a glowing red colour. In other places, notwithstanding its being perfectly black and folid, it ftill retained

fuch

fuch a degree of heat, that we could not ftand upon it for any confiderable time, but were obliged very frequently to step on the ground, or on older lava, to cool our feet. We had advanced a good way on a large piece of the latest lava, which was perfectly black and hard, and feemed cooler than the reft; while from this we looked at a ftream of liquid lava, which flowed fluggishly along a hollow way at fome distance. I accidentally threw my eyes below my feet, and perceived fomething, which mightily difcompofed my contemplations. This was a fmall ftream of the fame matter, gliding to one fide from beneath the black cruft on which we ftood. The idea of this cruft giving way, and our finking into the glowing liquid which it covered, made us fhift our ground with great precipitation; which one of our guides obferving, he called out, "Animo, animo, Signori ;" and immediately jumped on the incrustation which we had abandoned, and danced above it, to fhew

that

that it was fufficiently ftrong, and that we had no reafon to be afraid. We afterwards threw large ftones of the heaviest kind we could find, into this rivulet, on whofe furface they floated like cork in water; and on thrufting a stick into the ftream, it required a confiderable exertion offtrength to make it enter. About this time the day began to overcaft; this deftroyed our hopes of enjoying the view from the top of the mountain, and we were not tempted to afcend any farther.

Some time after, I went to the fummit with another party;-but I think it fair to inform you, that I have nothing new to say on the subject of volcanos, nor any philofophical remarks to make upon lavas. I have no guess of what time may be neceffary for the formation of foil, nor do I know whether it accumulates in a regular progreffion, or is accelerated or retarded by various accidents, which may lead us into infinite errors, when we calculate

time by fuch a rule. I have not the smallest wish to infinuate that the world is an hour older than Mofes makes it; because I imagine thofe gentlemen whofe calculations differ from his, are very nearly as liable to be mistaken as he was; because an attempt to prove it more ancient, can be no fervice to mankind; and finally, because, unless it could at the fame time be proved that the world has acquired wisdom in proportion to its years, fuch an attempt conveys an oblique reflection on its character; for many follies may be overlooked and forgiven to a world of only five or fix thousand years of age, which would be quite unpardonable at a more advanced period of exiftence. Having forewarned you that I fhall treat of none of those matters, but fimply defcribe what I saw, and mention perhaps a few incidents, none of which, I confefs, are of great importance, I leave it in your choice to afcend the mountain with me, or not, as you please.

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