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 To which are added, explanatory notes by the author, hitherto unpublished.
- William Hamilton
- Date:
- 1772
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 To which are added, explanatory notes by the author, hitherto unpublished.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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![the mountain[d], A few days before the eruption I faw (what Pliny the younger mentions having feen, before that eruption of Vefuvius whieh proved fatal to his un- cle) the black imoke take the form of a pine-tree. The fmoke, that appeared black in the day-time, for near two months before the eruption, had the appearance of flame in the night. : On'Good Friday, the 28th of March, at 7 o'clock at night, the lava began to boil over the mouth of the Volcano, at firft in one ftream; and foon after, divid- ine itfelf into two, it took its courfe to- wards Portici. It was preceded by a vio- lent explofion, which caufed a partial earth- quake in the neighbourhood of the moun- tain, and a fhower of red hot ftones’ and [4] Thefe afhes deftroy the leaves and fruit, and are greatly detrimental to vegetation for a year or two; but are certainly of great fervice to the land in general, and are among the principal caufes of that very great fer- tility which is remarkable in the neighbourhood of ¥ olcano’s, | B 2 cinders](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b32996676_0013.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
