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his houſe by the lava a part of which, had even entered one of the rooms; yet he actually ſaved all his fireworks and gunpowder ſome days after, by carrying them ſafely over the ſcoriae of the lava, while it was red hot underneath. The heat in the ſtreets of the town, at this time, was ſo great as to riſe the thermometer to very near one hundred degrees, and close to the hot lava it roſe much higher. Sir William remarked in his way home, that there was a much greater quantity of the petroleum floating on the ſurface of the ſea, and diffuſing a very ſtrong and offenſive ſmell, than was uſual; for at all times in calms, patches of this bituminous oil are to be ſeen floating on the ſurface of the ſea between Portici and Naples, and particularly oppoſite a village called Pietra Bianca. The minute aſhes continued falling at Naples; and the mountain, totally obſcured by them, continued to alarm the inhabitants with repeated loud exploſions.
On Wedneſday June 18, the wind having for a ſhort ſpace of time cleared away the thick cloud from the top of Veſuvius, it was now diſcovered that a great part of its crater, particularly on the weſt ſide oppoſite Naples, had fallen in, which it probably did about four o'clock in the morning of that day, as a violent ſhock of an earthquake was felt at that moment at Reſina, and other parts ſituated at the foot of the volcano. The clouds of ſmoke, mixed with the aſhes, were of ſuch a denſity as to appear to have the greateſt difficulty in forcing their paſſage out of the now widly extended mouth of Veſuvius, which, ſince the top fell in, is deſcribed as not much ſhort of two miles in circumference. One cloud heaped on another, and ſucceeding one another inceſſantly; formed in a few hours ſuch a gigantic and elevated column of the darkeſt hue over the mountain, as ſeemed to
