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Naples with immediate deſtruction, hav(illegible text) at one time been bent over the city, and appeari(illegible text) to be much too maſive and ponderous to rem(illegible text) long ſuſpended in the air; it was, beſides, rep(illegible text) with the ferilli, or volcanic lightning, which (illegible text) ſtonger than common lightning.
Veſuvius was at this time completely covered, (illegible text) were all the old black lavas, with a thick coat (illegible text) thoſe fine light grey aſhes already fallen, which ga(illegible text) it a cold and horrid appearance; and in compariſ(illegible text) of the abovementioned enormous maſs of lou(illegible text) which certainly, however it may contradict our id(illegible text) of the extenſion of our atmoſphere, roſe many m(illegible text) above the mountain, it appeared like a moleh(illegible text) although the perpendicular height of Veſuvius from the level of the ſea, is more than three thouſand ſix hundered feet. The abbe Braccini, as appears in his printed account of the eruption (illegible text) Mount Veſuvius in 1631, meaſured with a quadra(illegible text) the elevation of a maſs of clouds of the ſame natur(illegible text) which was formed over Veſuvius during that gre(illegible text) eruption, and found it to exceed thirty miles (illegible text) height. Dr Scotti, in his printed account of the eruprion, ſays, that the height of this threa(illegible text)ning cloud of ſmoke and aſhes, meaſured fro(illegible text)Naples, was found to be of an elevation of thir(illegible text) degrees.
The ſtorms of thunder and lightning, attend(illegible text) at times with heavy falls of rain and aſhes, cauſin(illegible text) the moſt deſtructive torrents of water and glutino(illegible text) mud, mixed with huge ſtones, and trees torn up (illegible text) the roots, continued more or leſs to afflict the inhabitants on both sides of the volcano until the 7th (illegible text) when the laſt torrent deſtroyed many hu(illegible text) of cultivated land, between the towns Torre del Greco and Torre dell' Annunziata. S(illegible text) torrents, both on the ſeaside and the S(illegible text)
