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⟨torrent⟩ that our author met with, was near the village of the Madonna dell' Arco, and he paſſed ſeveral ⟨others⟩ between that and the town of Ottaieno; one ⟨near⟩ Trochia, and two near the town of Somma, ⟨were⟩ the moſt conſiderable, and not leſs than a ⟨quarter⟩ of a mile in breadth; and, according to the ⟨teſtimony⟩ of eye witneſſes, when they poured down ⟨from⟩ from the mountain of Somma, they were from ⟨twenty⟩ to thirty feet high; the matter of theſe torrents was a liquid glutinous mud, compoſed of ⟨ſcoriae⟩, aſhes, ſtones (ſome of an enormous ſize) mixed with trees that had been torn up by the roots. ⟨Such⟩ torrents, as it may well be imagined, were irreſiſtable, and carried off every thing before them; ⟨houſes⟩, walls, trees, and not leſs than four thouſand ſheep and other cattle. At Somma, a team ⟨of⟩ eight oxen, which were drawing a large timber ⟨tree⟩ were at once carried off, and never were heard ⟨of⟩ more.
The appearance of theſe torrents was like that ⟨of⟩ all other torrents in mountainous countries, except that what had been mud was become a perfect ⟨cement⟩, on which nothing leſs than a pickaxe could ⟨make⟩ any impreſſion. The vineyards and cultivated ⟨lands⟩ were here much more ruined; and the limbs ⟨of⟩ the trees much more torn by the weight of the ⟨aſhes⟩, then thoſe which have been already deſcribed on the ſea ſide of the volcano.
The abbe Tata, in his printed account of this ⟨eruption⟩, has given a good idea of the abundance, ⟨the⟩ great weight, and glutinous quality of theſe aſhes, when he ſays, that having taken a branch from ⟨a⟩ fig-tree ſtill ſtanding near the town of Somma, on ⟨which⟩ were only ſix leaves, and two little unripe figs, ⟨and⟩ having weighed it with the aſhes attached to it, ⟨and⟩ I found it to be thirty one ounces; when having
