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found to be of an easily inflamable nature, they may quickly kindled by some falling stones, which breaking in pieces may strike sparks into and so set on fire such combustible matter, they light upon; It was thought, it would not be amiss, by the favour of our friends in Sicily, to procure from clue lately flaming Mount there, what Minerals they should be able to get upon the place. And accordingly we received by a ship lately arrived from Messina;
First, a good quantity of Ashes, taken up in divers parts of and about Ætna; some at the top or mouth of the new made Mountain; some a mile off, some four, some ten miles, some but halfe a mile distant, and others on the skirts of the said Mount; whereof the four first were found to agree well enough with their distances, but the two last to differ much both from the former and from one another; the former 4. sorts having been found very dry like dust, but the two latter being still very moist, though in Sicily (as we are informed) they have layn exposed a good while to the hot Sun; besides that the two last differ from one another, in that one sort of them consists of hard and final lumps, the other, of very soft durty grains, yet both moist and of a vitriolate taste.
Secondly, Some of the Cinders, which the people of Sicily call Sciarri, whereof some are courser, taken up at some distance from the Mouth; and of these some black, with a crust of Brimstone, some of a red hew; others finer, said to be got out of the gutturs of fire at the very Mouth. Both these kinds are light; but then there is a third sort of Stone, very solid and ponderous, which seems to be made up of a conflux of divers Minerals, melted together.
Thirdly, A piece of Sal Armoniack, and several pieces of Sandever, besides those moist Vitriolate Ashes above mentioned.
All which was accompanied with a Mapp of that part of the Country, where the Fire hath run; in which Mapp the annexed Scale of a Mile shews, that the Fire spred about 3. miles in breadth, and 17. miles in length; the same being now quite extinct, but that only in the clefts or hollowness's of the rocks of Sciarri some fite still remains glowing.
Some
