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cordingly, as he spoke," Lo! the power of all human calcula

"the island fhot up out of the "waters." It is eafy to trace this fable to its fource, the heaving up of the foil at the bottom of the fea by the vehemence of fire.

tion, I believe, however, that with all its terrors, Vefuvius, open and active, is lefs hoftile to Naples than it would be if its eruptions were to ceafe, and its ftruggles were to be confined to its bowels: then undoubtedly would enfue most fatal shocks to the unftable foundation of the Terra di Lavoro.

The day being clear, I made fome ftay on the top, to obtain ajust idea of the topography of this curious country. There cannot be a more advantageous station for examining Naples and its environs, as Vefuvius ftands fingle, at a diftance from all other mountains, and commands the plains of Nola, Capua, and Sarno, the chain of the Appennines, the promontory of Sorrento, the hills and gulf of Naples, with all its iflands. Į

Whatever may have been the origin of Vefuvius, whether as a mountain it be coëval with the first-created protuberances of this globe, or whether it be an irregular production of ages fubfequent to the creation, this we may fafely affirm, that it has been a volcano beyond the reach of history or tradition. Long before it laid Herculaneum waste, it was defcribed by authors as bearing the marks of fire on its fummit. Some even fay, the report of its having vomited flames went fo far back into antiquity as to border upon fable. A most animated description of its ravages in 79 is left us by the younger obferved, that the ridge extending Pliny, who was a woeful witnefs to all he relates. From that time it now and then burst out, and alarmed the neighbouring country; but feemed by degrees to lofe its vigour, till, in the lower ages, it fcarce gave fufficient alarm to merit a place in the chronicles of the times. In 1631, it broke out again with accumulated fury, and spread fuch devastation around, as almost equalled the horrors of the first year of Titus. Since that epocha, it has had its periods of turbulence and repofe; and of late years it has fo redoubled its violence, as to emit fmoke continually, and every year, at least a torrent of lava. Whence it draws its immenfe fupplies of combustibles, and how long its prefent cone will be able to bear thefe unremitting efforts, exceeds

weftward from Poggio Reale to Monte Gauro, is entirely feparated by the plains from every other eminence, and conftitutes a vaft detached promontory, full of lakes and hollows, the craters of extinct volcanos. On furveying thofe regions from this elevated pinnacle, it appeared to me that, in times of the remotest antiquity, there may have exifted an enor mous flaming mountain, with its centrical point between Ifchia and the Camaldoli, and that Solfatara, Aftruni, Barbaro, &c. may be but the excrefcences and montagnuole of one gigantic mats, which, after exhaufting its force, and wearing out the furface till it grew unable to fupport its own weight, may have funk, and been overwhelmed by the waves. The gulf of Baia, and the channels of Ischia and Procida,

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Procida, may have been formed by this cataclyfm. The fize of Etna renders fuch an extent no objection to my hypothefis, and fhews to what a monftrous bulk a mountain can fwell felf. Monte Epomeo in Ischia, and the Camaldoli, are both abruptly broken down facing each other, and both flope off very gradually different ways, till one is loft in the Campi Leborini, and the other finks into the fea.

Some Account of the Mare Piccolo of Taranto-of its Shell-fish-of the Nautilus-Coral-and Pinna Marina. From the fame.

I

DEVOTED the afternoon to a water-party, taking with me one of the oldest and most intelligent of the Tarantine fishermen, to fhew me the fifhing and fpawning places, and explain the different feafons and methods of catching fith. We took boat, and rowed up the fouthern fhore of the Mare Piccolo, with an intention of meafuring the whole circumference, which Strabo fixes at one hundred ftadia, or twelve English miles and a half. Ac

cording to my calculation, the circuit of the western part is not more than half as great as that of the eastern one; and both together, by a rough estimate, are about fixteen miles. This increase may be accounted for by the deftruction of all the parapets and walls of the old city, the wearing away of the banks, and overflowing of the low grounds. A tide is very percep tible, efpecially when the moon changes, and fill more fo at the folftices and equinoxes: but very

feeble in comparison of the tides in the ocean: however, it ferves to keep the waters of this landlocked bay fweet, and to bring in caravans of fish, that fatten and breed in its quiet pools. When the Scirocco blows hard, the waves are driven up with great violence, and navigation become perilous for fmall veffels.

The first objects of my curiofity were the beds of Cozzenere, or mufcles, the greatest and most con ftant fupply of the market. Their fpawn is dropt in the mud. About the twenty-first of March, little mufcles begin to rife up, and cling to long stakes driven by the fill.ermen into the water under the city wail, and in the castleditch. There they thrive and grow in ftill water, while the washings of the streets supply them with rich and copious nutriment, In Auguft they are as big as almonds, and are then drawn up with the poles, and fown on the oppofite fide of the Mare Piccolo, among the fresh water fprings.

About the middle of October they are again dragged up, feparated, and fcattered over a larger space. In fpring, they are brought to market long before they arrive at their full growth. This hafte proceeds froni the avidity of the officers of the revenue, who receive a duty of four carlini a cantaro for them, whether old or young.

When a long continuance of heavy rains fwells the little ftreams that difcharge themselves into this gulf, the waters become muddy, and thefe fifh are then obferved to grow distempered, rotten, and unwholefome. The cause of this malady lies in the noxious frag

ments

ments of animals, putrid vegetables, oily, bituminous, and fulphureous particles, wafhed from the earth by the flowers. They cut the tender fibres or fingers which the fish ftretches out, miftaking them for wholefome food. The wounded parts fefter, and poifon the whole body. It is an obfervation made here, and confirmed by long experience, that all the teftaceous tribe is fuller, fatter, and more delicate, during the new and full moon, than in the first and last quarters. The difference is accounted for by the tides and currents, which fet in ftronger in the new and full moon, and bring with them large quantities of bruifed fishes, infects, fruits, and other fattening nurture. I was affured that nothing caufes fish to fpoil fooner than leaving them expofed to the beams of the moon; and that all prudent fishermen, when out by night, cover what they catch with an awning. If they meet with any dead fish on the strand, or in the market, they can always difcern, by its colour and flabbinefs, if it be allunato, moonftruck; and, except in cafes of great neceffity, abflain from it as unwholefome. Not having an opportunity of verifying this affertion, I give it as doubtful; for I know the Italians are apt to attribute to the baneful influence of the moon many ftrange effects,

which philofophers of other nations do not afcribe to it. No Italian will lie down to fleep where moonfhine can reach him.

The Cozze Pelofe, or velvet mufcle, is first dragged for in the Great Sea, and then fcattered to breed on fciaie, or heaps of stones funk by the fishermen at every head-land 'of the Mare Piccolo.

Under the Piano, or eaftern fhore, are the oyster-beds: no coaft affords a more exquifite fort. In winter, large hampers of them are fent over-land to Naples. The feafon is confined by law to a term between the 25th of November and Eafter Sunday.

Brundufium was the great fupplier of oysters for the Roman tables. From that port, the spawn was carried to flock their public refervoirs at the Lucrene Lake, near Baiæ; and no mention is made by the antients of the excellence of any Tarantine shell-fifli, except the fcallop*. It is therefore not unlikely that oyfter fpawn has been brought to Taranto from Brindifi, and better preferved than at the original bed, where the obftructions in the mouth of the harbour have ruined all the fisheriest.

The papyraceous Nautilus is fometimes, but very rarely, feen fpreading the wonderful mechanifm of its fail and oars in the smooth bays of the Mare Grande; and fometimes fishermen futrprise trumpetfhells of a prodigious bulk afleep, floating

HOR. Sat.

Pectinibus patulis jactat fe molle Tarentum. + I received from my friend, F. Ant. Minafi, the following lift of fhell-fish found in the Tarantine waters. He drew it up, according to the Linnæan fyftem, from a large affortment of fpecimens, which he was commiffioned to clafs, before they were prefented by the Archbishop of Taranto to the Infant Don Gabriel. Had my learned correfpondent had an opportunity of vifiting G 4 thofe

floating on the furface of the water

in a fuitry day.

Very fine branchy coral is found along the coaft, east of the city.

thofe feas, it is more than probable that his piercing and experienced eye would have discovered other fpecies, if not genera, of fishes.

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The places are kept a profound fecret. Marks are let up on land, by which the Tarantines fteer their course, and fink their hooks and crofs-beams exactly in the middle of a coral bed, while ftrangers must row about a whole day dragging, without a guide, or certainty of bringing up a fingle twig. There was, a few years ago, fuch abundance of coral near thele fhores, that a boat's crew was once known to draw up in one day as much as fold for five hundred ducats (934. 15.) Large pieces may be had for about five ducats per rotolo, which at Taranto contains only thirteen onces.

Under Cape St. Vito, once famous for an abbey of Bafilian monks, and in most parts of the Mare Grande, the rocks are ftudced with the Pinna Marina. This bivalved fhell of the muscle tribe frequently exceeds two feet in length. It faftens itfelf to the ftones by its hinge, and throws out a large tuft of filky threads, which float and play about to alJure small fish; amidst thefe filaments is generally found, befides other infects, a small shrimp, called by the antients, Cancer Pinnotheres; by the modern Tarantines, Caurella. This little cruftaceous animal was imagined to be generated with the Pinna, and appointed by nature to act as a watchman, in apprizing it of the approach of prey or enemies; and that, upon the leaft alarm, this guard lipt down into the thell, which was inftantly clofed: but more accurate obfervers have difcovered, that the poor fhrimp is no more than a prey itself, and by no means a centinel for the muscle, which in its turn fre

quently falls a victim to the wiles of the Polypus Octopedia. In very calm weather, this rapacious pirate may be feen stealing towards the yawning fhells with a pebble in his claws, which he darts fo dexterously into the aperture, that the Pinna cannot thut itfelf up clofe enough to pinch off the feelers of its antagonist, or fave its flesh from his ravenous tooth. The Pinna is torn off the rocks with hooks, and broken for the fake of its bunch of filk called Lanapenna, which is fold, in its rude ftate, for about fifteen carlini a pound, to women that wash it well with 1oap and fresh water. When it is perfectly cleaned of all its impurities, they dry it in the fade, ftraighten it with a large comb, cut off the ufelefs root, and card the remainder; by which means they reduce a pound of coarte filaments to about three ounces of fine thread. This they knit into stockings, gloves, caps, and waistcoats; but they commonly mix a little filk as a ftrengthener. This web is of a beautiful yellow brown, refembling the burnifhed gold on the back of fome flies and beetles. I was told that the Lanapenna receives its glots from being steeped in lemonjuice, and being afterwards pressed down with a taylor's goofe."

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