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the foot of the mountain were about ten or tw(illegible text) inches thick on the ſurface of the earth, ba(illegible text) proportion as he aſcended, their thickneſs inc(illegible text)ed to ſeveral feet, no leſs than nine or ten in (illegible text) parts; to that the ſurface of the old rugged l(illegible text) that before was almost impracticable, was now (illegible text) came a perfect plain, over which he walked (illegible text) the greatest eaſe. The aſhes were of a light (illegible text) colour, and exceedingly fine, ſo that by the (illegible text) ſteps being marked on them as on ſnow, he le(illegible text) that three ſmall parties had been up before him. (illegible text) ſaw likewiſe the track of a fox, which appeare(illegible text) have been quite bewildered, to judge from the (illegible text)ny turns he had made. Even the traces of liz(illegible text) and other little animals, and of inſects, were vi(illegible text) on theſe fine aſhes. Sir Willian and his comp(illegible text)on aſcended to the ſpot whence the lava of the (illegible text) firſt iſſued, and followed the courſe of it, which (illegible text) ſtill very hot (although covered with ſuch a th(illegible text) coat of aſhes quite down to the ſea at Torre del Greco, which is more than five miles. It was (illegible text) poſſible to get up to the great crater of Veſuvius nor had any one yet attempted it. The ho(illegible text) chaſms that exiſted from the ſpot were the (illegible text) eruption firſt took place, in a ſtrait line for (illegible text) two miles towards the ſea, cannot be imagi(illegible text) They formed vallies more than two hundred (illegible text) deep, and from half a mile to a mile wide; (illegible text) where the fountains of fiery matter exiſted (illegible text) ring the eruption, were little mountains with d(illegible text) craters. Ten thouſand men, in as many yea(illegible text) could not make such an alteration on the face (illegible text) Veſuvius. Except the exhalations of ſulphur(illegible text) and vitriolic vapours, which broke out from dif(illegible text) ent ſpots of the line abovementioned, and tin(illegible text) the ſurface of the aſhes and ſcoriae in thoſe p(illegible text) with either a deep or pale-yellow, with a red(illegible text)
