it makes a very conspicuous figure. I own I was by no means struck with its appearance, as it does not seem to be one tree, but a bush of five large trees growing together. We complained to our guides of the imposition; when they unanimously assured us, that by the universal tradition and even testimony of the country, all these were once united in one stem; that their grandfathers remembered this, when it was looked upon as the glory of the forest, and visited from all quarters; that for many years past it had been reduced to the venerable ruin we beheld. We began to examine it with more attention, and found that there is an appearance that these five trees were really once united in one. The opening in the middle is at present prodigious; and it does indeed require faith to believe, that so vast a space was once occupied by solid timber. -But there is no appearance of bark on the inside of any of the stumps, nor on the sides that are opposite to one another. Mr. Glover and I measured it separately, and brought it exactly to the same size; viz. 204 feet round. If this was once united in one solid stem, it must with justice indeed have been looked upon as a very wonderful phenomenon in the vegetable world, and was deservedly styled the glory

of the forest.

I have since been told by the Canonico Recupero, an ingenious ecclesiastic of this place, that he was at the expence of carrying up peasants with tools to dig round the Castagno de Cento Cavalli, and

root.

he assures me, upon his honour, that he found all these stems united below ground in one I alledged, that so extraordinary an object must have been celebrated by many of their writers-He told me that it had, and produced several examples; Philoteo, Carrera, and some others. Carrera begs to be excused from telling its dimensions; but he says, he is sure there was wood enough in that one tree to build a large palace, Their poet Bagolini too has celebrated a tree of the same kind, perhaps the same tree; and Massa, one of their most esteemed authors, says he has seen solid oaks upwards of 40 feet round; but adds, that the size of the chesnut-trees was beyond belief, the hollow of one of which, he says, contained 300 sheep; and 30 people had often been in it on horseback. I shall not pretend to say, that this is the same tree he means: or whether it ever was one tree or not. There are many others that are well deserving the curiosity of travellers. One of these, about a mile and a half higher on the mountain, is called Il Castagno del Galea; it rises from one solid stem to a considerable height, after which it branches out, and is a much finer object than the other. I measured it about two feet from the ground; it was 76 feet round. There is a third called Il Castagno del Nave, that is pretty nearly of the same size. All these grow on a thick rich soil, formed originally, I believe, of ashes thrown out by the mountain.

The climate here is much more

12

temperate

temperate than in the first region of Etna, where the excessive heats must ever prevent a very luxuriant vegetation. Ifound the barometer had now fallen to 26: 5; which announces an elevation of very near 4000 feet; equivalent, in the opinion of some of the French academicians, to 18 or 20 degrees of latitude in the formation of a climate.

The vast quantity of nitre contained in the ashes of Etna, probably contributes greatly to increase the luxuriance of this vegetation and the air too, strongly impregnated with it from the smoke of the volcano, must create a constant supply of this salt, termed by some, not without reason, the food of vegetables.

There is a house built in 'the inside of the great chesnut-tree for holding the fruit it bears, which is still very considerable: here we dined with excellent appetite, and being thoroughly convinced, that it was in vain to attempt getting up the mountain on that side, we began to descend; and after a very fatiguing journey over old lavas, now become fertile fields and rich vineyards, we arrived about sun-set at Jaci Reale, where, with the utmost difficulty, we at last got lodging in a convent of Dominicans.

The last lava we crossed before, our arrival there, is of a vast extent. I thought we never should have had done with it; it certainly is not less than six or seven miles broad, and appears in many places to be of an enormous depth.

When we came near the sea, I was desirous to see what form it had assumed in meeting with the water. I went to examine it, and found it had drove back the waves

for upwards of a mile, and had formed a large black high promontory, where before it was deep water. This lava, I imagined, from its barrenness, for it is as yet covered with a very scanty soil, had run from the mountain but a few ages ago; but was surprised to be informed by Signor Recupero, the historiographer of Etna, that this very lava is mentioned by Diodorus Siculus to have burst from Etna in the time of the second Punic war, when Syracuse was besieged by the Romans. A detachment was sent from Taurominum to the relief of the besieged. They were stopped on their march by this stream of lava, which had reached the sea before their arrival at the foot of the mountain, and entirely cut off their passage; and obliged them to return by the back of Etna, upwards of 100 miles about. His authority for this, he tells me, was taken from inscriptions on Roman monuments found on this lava, and that it was likewise well ascertained by many of the old Sicilian authors. Now as this is about 2000 years ago, one would have imagined, if lavas have a regular progress in becoming fertile fields, that this must long ago have become at least arable: this however is not the case, and it is as yet only covered with a very scanty vegetation, being incapable either of producing corn or vines. There are indeed pretty large trees growing in the crevices, which are full of a very rich earth; but in all proba bility it will be some hundred years yet, before there is enough of this to render it of any use to the proprietors.

In the lowest part of the first region of Etna, the harvest is almost

over; but in the upper parts of the same region, near the confines of the Regione Sylvosa, it will not begin yet for several weeks.

As Recupero, who is a facetious, and an agreeable companion, was kind enough to sit a good deal with me during my confinement, I have gathered many remarks from his conversation that may perhaps be worthy of your attention.

The variety of waters about Etna, he tells me, is altogether astonishing. I have already mentioned the Fiume Freddo, or the river of Acis: Recupero confirms what I had been told of it. There is a lake on the north of the mountain, of about three miles in circumference, which receives several considerable rivers; yet, although there is no apparent outlet, it never overflows its banks. I suggested, that there might probably be a subterraneous communication betwixt this and the Fiume Freddo. He said, there was no resemblance in the quality of their waters; however, I think it is probable that, in the course of so many miles through the caverns of Etna, full of sales and of minerals, it may both acquire its cold and its vitriolic qualities.

There is another lake on the top of a mountain to the west of Etna, the bottom of which could never be found. It is observed never either to rise or fall, but always preserves the same level. It is undoubtedly the crater of that mountain (which is all of burnt matter) converted into a lake. The river which supplies the baths of Cattania is of a very different nature: it never continues the same, but is perpetually changing. Its current is for the most part confined under

ground by the lavas: but sometimes it bursts out with such vio lence, that the city has suffered greatly from it; and what is still more unfortunate, these eruptions are generally followed by some epidemical distemper. It has now been constantly diminishing for these two years past, and is at present almost reduced to nothing. They are in perpetual dread of its breaking out, and laying waste their fields, as it has so often done be fore. What is exceedingly singu lar, it generally bursts out after a long tract of the driest and warmest weather. The Etnean academy have never been able to account for this singular phænomenon. I think it is most probable, that it arises from the melting of the snows on Etna, but I shall not pre end to say how. These, perhaps, over-filling the caverns that usually receive their water, the surplus is carried off into this river.

The river of Alcantara certainly takes its rise from the melting of these snows. Its waters, I observed, are exactly of the same whitish co lour as all the. rivers are that run from the Glaciers amongst the Alps. There are several periodical springs on Etna, that flow only during the day, and stop during the night. These too are naturally and easily accounted for from the melting of the snows; for they melt only dur ing the day, being hard froze every night, even in the hottest season. There are likewise a variety of poi, sonous springs, some of so deadly a quality, that birds and beasts have often been found lying dead on their banks, from having drank of their water. But (what is perhaps still more singular) Recupero told me, that about twenty years I 3

ago,

ago, there opened a rent in the mountain, that for a considerable time sent forth so strong a vapour, that, like the lake Avernus, birds were absolutely suffocated in flying Över it.

There are many caverns where the air is so excessively cold, that it is impossible to support it for any time. These the peasants make use of as reservoirs for the snow; and indeed they make the finest ice-houses in the world, preserving it hard froze during the hottest summers. It would be endless to give an account of all the caverns, and other singular phænomena about Etna. Kircher speaks of one which he saw, capable, he says, of containing 30,000 men. Here, he adds, numbers of people have been lost, from their temerity in going too far. One of these caverns still retains the name of Proserpine, from its being supposed by the ancients, that it was by this entry that Pluto conveyed her into his dominions; on which occasion Ovid describes Ceres as searching for her daughter, with two trees which she had plucked from the mountain, by way of torches. These trees he calls Teda, which is still the name of a tree I have never seen any where but on mount Etna. It produces great quantities of a kind of rosin, and was the very properest tree Ceres could have pitched upon for her purpose. This rosin is called Catalana, and is esteemed a cure for sores.

us.

1

the mountain, one of which was left with the Canonico Recupero, and the other we carried along with That which we left, Recupero assures us, had no sensible variation during our absence. We both left it and found it at 29 inches 8 lines and a half, English measure. On our arrival at Cattania, we found the one we had carried up with us exactly at the same point.

I have likewise a very good quick-silver thermometer, which I borrowed from the Neapolitan philosopher, the Padre della Torre, who furnished us with letters for this place, and would have accompanied us, if he could have obtained leave of the king. It is made by Adams at London, and (as I myself proved) exactly graduated from, the two points of freezing and boiling water. It is according to Farenheit's scale. I shall mark the heights in the different regions of Etna, with the rules for estimating the elevation of mountains by the barometer, which, I am sorry to say, are so very ill ascertained. Cassini, Boguer, and the others who have writ on the subject, to the reproach of science, differing so much amongst themselves, that it is with difficulty we can come near the truth.

Etna has been often measured; but I believe never with any degree of accuracy; and it is really a shame to the academy established in this place, called the Etnean academy, whose original intention was to study the nature and properties of this astonishing moun

WE

E took care to regulate two barometers at the foot of

have measured it geometrically; but I am sorry to say, although this is both the seat of an academy and

university,

sea-mark of this beach forms the meridian to the summit of the mountain. Here you are sure of a perfect level, and may make the base of your triangle of what length you please. But unfortunately this mensuration has never been made, at least with any tolerable degree of precision.

Kircher pretends to have measured it, and to have found it 4000 French toises: which is much more than any of the Andes, or indeed than any mountain upon earth. The Italian mathematicians are still more absurd. Some of them make it eight miles, some six, and some four. Amici, the last, and I believe the most accurate that ever attempted it, brings it to three miles, 264 paces; but even this must be exceedingly erroneous; and probably the height of Etna does not exceed 12000 feet, or little more than two miles. I shall mark the different methods of determining heights by the barometer; and you may chuse which you please. I believe the allowance in all of them, particularly in great elevations, where the air is exceedingly thin and light, is vastly too small. Mikeli, whose mensurations are esteemed more exact, has ever found it so. Cassini allows, I think, ten French toises of eleva

tion, for every line of mercury,. adding one foot to the fist ten, two to the second, three to the third, and so on; but surely the weight of the air diminishes in a much greater proportion.

Boguer takes the difference of the logarithms of the height of the barometer in lines (supposing these logarithms to consist only of five figures); from this difference he takes away a 30th part, and what remains he supposes to be the difference of elevation. I own I do not recollect his reason for this supé position; but the rule seems to be still more erroneous than the other, and has been entirely laid aside, I am told, that, accurate experiments have been made at Geneva, to establish the mensuration with the barometer; but I have not as yet been able to procure them, Mr. de la Hire allows twelve toises, four feet for the line of mercury: and Picart, probably the most exact of all the French academicians, fourteen toises, or about ninety English feet. The palpable dif ference amongst these philosophers, must ever be a reproach to science.