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'The whole number of perſons that periſhed, including thoſe who were burnt, or afterwards cruſhed to death whilſt digging in the ruins, is ſuppoſed, an the loweſt calculation, to amount to more than ſixty thouſand; and though the damage in other reſpects cannot be computed, yet you may form ſome idea of it, when I aſſure you, that this extenſive and opulent city, is now nothing but a vaſt heap of ruins, that the rich and poor are at preſent upon a level, ſome thouſands of families which but the day before had been eaſy, in their circumſtances, being now ſcattered about in the fields, wanting every conveniency of life, and finding none able to relieve them.
'A few days after the firſt conſternation was over, I ventured down into the city, by the ſafeſt ways I could pick out, to ſee if there was a poſſibility of getting any thing out of my lodgings, but the ruins were now ſo augmented by the late fire, that I was ſo far from being able to diſtinguish the individual ſpot where the houſe ſtood, that I could not even diſtinguiſh the ſtreet, amidſt the mountains of ſtone and rubbiſh which roſe on every ſide. Some days after, I ventured down again with ſeveral porters, who, having long plied in theſe parts of the town, were well acquainted with the ſituation of particular houſes; by their aſſiſtance, I at laſt diſcovered the ſpot; but was ſoon convinced, that to dig for any thing here, beſides the danger of ſuch an attempt would never anſwer the expence.
'On both the times when I attempted to make this fruitleſs ſearch, eſpecially the first, there came ſuch an intolerable ſtench from the dead bodies, that was ready to faint away, and though it did not ſeem ſo great this laſt time, yes it had nearly been more fatal to me, as contracted a fever by it, but of which, God be praiſed, I ſoon got the
