just perceived by a few in Ripacandida. In Rionero, as in Melfi, eleven shocks were enumerated during the nights of the 14th and 15th; but in Ripacandida only five, of which I was assured by Father Giacinto Schiro among others. The highest part of this townland suffered the most; two houses, two stories high, were shaken down. It was necessary finally to throw down one-fifth of the buildings, among which was the Convent delle Teresiane. The rest escaped with slight injuries. In this village of 2,500 souls, there was but one victim—a woman. Ginestra, a small territory near Bariele, suffered even less than Ripacandida, owing probably to the small elevation of the low tenements. No death occurred, and two houses only were found in a dangerous condition. The rock on which it is built is sandstone, while Ripacandida is built on large pebble conglomerate.
The inhabitants of this village describing the horizontal motion, compared it to the opening and closing of the ground. At Monteverde, all unanimously agree that the earthquake commenced with a loud noise from west of north, followed immediately by the vertical and then the horizontal motion. A fifth of the buildings suffered much injury; amongst these the cathedral, but many of the edifices were previously in a bad state. A mother escaping with a child in her arms, was struck by a stone, which caused her to let fall the child, and as she stooped to raise it, a wall fell and buried both beneath its ruins. A hill to the north of Monteverde, called Lavagna, formed of large pebble conglomerate, was deeply rent on the east side. The losses in Carbonara were somewhat less than those in Monteverde. The cathedral, a beautiful building, was opened in two places in the roof. None perislied in the ruins. We were assured that for more than a week the sparrows were not seen or heard, chirping round the walls. Monteverde stands on a steep hill of Macigno formation, Carbonara, on sub-Apennine marl, and large pebble conglomerate. On a lovely hill of the same formation covered with vines and olives, about eight miles east of Melfi, stands Venosa, the birthplace of Horace, reminding us how justly that famous poet doubted, whether he should call himself an Apulian or Lucanian, for truly, Venosa as well as Lavello appear to be cities of Puglia, the warm
