Observations on Mount Vesuvius, Mount Etna, and other volcanos: in a series of letters, addressed to the Royal Society / from the Honourable Sir W. Hamilton ... ; to which are added, explanatory notes by the author, hitherto unpublished.

  • Hamilton, William, Sir, 1730-1803.
Date:
1773
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on Mount Vesuvius, Mount Etna, and other volcanos: in a series of letters, addressed to the Royal Society / from the Honourable Sir W. Hamilton ... ; to which are added, explanatory notes by the author, hitherto unpublished. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    felf merely to the many extraordinary ap¬ pearances that have come under my own infpe&ion, and leave their explanation to the more learned in Natural Philofophy. During the firft twelvemonth of my being here, I did not perceive any re¬ markable alteration in the mountain •, but L obferved, the fmoke from the Volcano was much more confiderable in bad wea¬ ther than when it was fair [^] ; and I of¬ ten heard (even at Naples, fix miles from Vefuvius) in bad weather, the inward ex- [a] Having reflected fince upon this circumftance, I rather believe that the weight of the atmofphere in bad weather, preventing the free diffipation of the fmoke, and colle&ing it over the crater, gives it the ap- pearanee of being more confiderable; whereas in fine weather the fmoke is difperfed foon after its emifiion. It is, however, the common-received opinion at Naples (and from my own obfervation is, I believe, well founded), that when Vefuvius grumbles, bad weather is at hand. The fea of the Bay of Naples, being parti¬ cularly agitated and fwelling fome hours before the ar¬ rival of a form, may very probably force itfelf into crevices, leading to the bowels of the Volcano, and, by eaufing a new fermentation^ produce thole explofions and grumblings. plonons