One fingular reafon prevented him from profecuting this fubterraneous expedition. In those parts of the earth from which undoubtedly those fiery torrents formerly iffued forth, forming a river of melted lava 14 miles in length, and, in many parts, fix in breadth, which extended to the fea, and deftroyed part of Catania, there now rages the moft exceffive cold, accompanied with a violent wind, that frequently extinguished fome of the torches. Some of these cavities, which have been discovered in different parts of Etna, are now used as repofitories for fnow; and the whole islands of Sicily and Malta are from thence fupplied with that article, deemed effentially neceffary in those climates.

In the fecond or middle region of Etna, which is covered and adorned with the most beautiful and majeftic woods, are mountains, or fragments of mountains, on every fide, that have been thrown up by explosions of ancient date, fome of which are nearly as high as Mount Vefuvius. Now it is certain that a confiderable time is requifite to convert lava and ashes into a fubftance proper to fupport even the fmalleft plants. In the fpace of two or three miles round the mountain raised by the eruption in 1669, there are as yet not the leaft appearances of vegetation. The high antiquity therefore of the explofions, which have formerly ravaged this part of Etna, is very juftly deduced by the Author from the prefent ftate of its furface and products; there being now a fufficient depth of vegetable mould over the lava to fupport the largeft oak, chefnut, and fir trees he ever faw any where. But the very ancient date of thefe eruptions is ftill farther afcertained from hiftorical information; from whence it appears that this part of Etna was celebrated for its timber, fo far back as the time of the tyrants of Syracufe. These ancient woods therefore grew on places either originally formed of lava and afhes, or at leaft formerly covered with thefe fubftances, in confequence of explofions which must have happened in times anterior to all history.

Our inquifitive Traveller, not fatisfied with exploring the lower, and this laft mentioned or middle region of this refpectable mountain,' where he pitched his tent for the night, attempted its fummit; and was gratified at fun rifing, after reaching and feating himfelf on its very highest point, with the fplendid view of an extenfive and beautiful landfcape that baffles all defeription. This apex, we fhould obferve, is the top of a smaller mountain, about à quarter of a mile perpendicular in height, and nine miles in circumference, which has been thrown up from the great crater at the top of Etna, within the last 25 or 30 years. His enlarged horizon being gradually lighted up, he difcovered the greater part of Calabria, and the fea on the other fide of it: the Phare of Mefina, the Lipari islands, and Strom

boli with its fmoaking top, though at above 70 miles diftance, feemed to be juft under his feet. He faw the whole island of Sicily, its rivers, towns, harbours, &c. as if he had been looking on a map. In fhort, as he has fince found by measuring on a good chart, the eye took in, from this one point of view, a circle of above nine hundred Englifh miles. The pyramidal shadow of the mountain was likewife feen, reaching across the whole island, and far into the fea on the other fide. Here he counted no less than 44 little mountains (fo called only in comparison with their great and ancient common parent, Mount Etna; though they would appear great out of her company) in the middle region, on the fide of Catania; together with many others on the oppofite fide, all of a conical form, and each hav ing its crater; without, and even within which, many timber trees were feen flourishing.

A Canon who accompanied the Author in this excurfion, affured him that the perpendicular height of this remarkable mountain was fomething more than three Italian miles: a meafure which nearly correfponds with that which may be collected from the Author's barometrical obfervations, made at the foot and the top of it. In the first of these stations, the mercury flood at 27 inches 4 lines; and at the latter, funk to 18 inches 10 lines. In fhort, the Magnificent and the Terrible are difplayed here on a larger fcale than in Mount Vefuvius. The moft extenfive lavas which have flowed from the last-mentioned volcano have not exceeded feven miles in length: whereas those of Etna are very commonly 15 or 20 miles in length, fix or feven in breadth, and 50 feet or more in depth. Nay, on his return, the Author faw the whole courfe of an ancient eruption, where the lava ran no less than 30 miles, from the crater whence it iffued, to the fea near Taormina, extending in many parts 15 miles in breadth.

The last circumftance which we shall extract from this article is, that the fame kind of flashes refembling lightening, which the Author noticed as a phenomenon attending the last great eruption of Vefuvius, and which, as we formerly obferved, Father Beccaria confiders as electrical appearances, are frequently feen to proceed from the great crater of Etna. To this circumftance Mr. Hamilton fuppofes Seneca to allude, when, treating of one of its eruptions, he adds, illo tempore aiunt plurima fuiffe tonitrua & fulmina. Quæft. Nat. Libr. 2. Article 2. On the Inhabitants of the Coast of Patagonia; in a Letter from Philip Carteret, Efq; Captain of the Swallow Sloop, to Matthew Maty, M. D. Sec. R. S.

In criticifing an opinion of the lively and ingenious Author of the Recherches Philofophiques fur les Americains*, we pleaded • See Appendix to our 42d volume, page 527 and 28.

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somewhat earnestly for an allowance of two or three feet extraordinary, to the inhabitants of Patagonia, above the ufual ftandard of us and the other homunciones difperfed over the reft of the globe. To this we were induced by confiding, in the fimplicity of our hearts, in the teftimony of the gentlemen of his Majefty's fhip the Dolphin; and particularly on the seemingly fober and explicit affeverations contained in a very cir cumftantial letter of Mr. Charles Clarke's, addreffed likewife to Dr. Maty, and published in the 57th volume of thefe Tranfactions t. We now more than fufpect that our former informants have fomewhat abufed the acknowledged privilege of travellers, and that we muft accordingly make very confiderable abatements in the measures for which we lately contended. On a fubject which has made fo much noife throughout Europe, we willingly embrace this opportunity of acknowledging our fallibility, and of extracting the moft effential particulars relating to these people, from the prefent letter; which was written on the spot by the commander of one of the fhips employed, together with the Dolphin, in the fubfequent expedition to the South Seas ; and who undoubtedly here defcribes the very fame people, who were feen by the officers of that ship, during its first voyage in 1764. From the prefent account however it appears, that these Patagonians, though not of the fuperlative dimenfions before afcribed to them, are a very extraordinary face of men, with respect to fize; efpecially when it is confidered that they inhabit, or rather perhaps, as we formerly fuggefted, wander over one of the most desolate and barren regions of the habitable earth. Such, at leaft, are thofe parts of it, we prefume, where they have hitherto been seen by voyagers.

In many of the circumftances here related concerning these people, Captain Carteret's account confims that before given of them. They were firft feen to the number of 60 or 70, riding upon horfes about 14 or 15 hands high, near the mouth of the river Gallegoes, which is not far from the easternmost entrance of the Straits of Magellan. In the space of a day they were increased to feveral hundreds, men, women, and children. • We measured, fays the Captain, many of these people; they were, in general, all from fix feet to fix feet five inches, although there were fome who came to fix feet feven inches, but none above that.' Upon the whole, he represents them as the finell fet of men he ever faw any where before. They are well proportioned, have large and pretty regular features, and com

+ See Monthly Review, vol. xxxix. December 1768, page 417. The prefent article is a copy of the Author's original letter, fent from Port Famine, by the florefhip, to Dr. Maty, but which did not come to hard.

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plections nearly as clear as thofe of Europeans; but altered by the use of paint, and by their expofing themfelves to the inclemency of the weather.

The principal obfervations contained in this letter appear to have been made on the first conference with these people, who for feveral days afterwards followed the fhip, to the number of 3 or 400, and, by the most friendly figns, invited the crew to land; giving them the most unequivocal proofs of their good intentions, and confidence in them, by withdrawing themselves from the fea-fhore, and leaving their children, as pledges, by the water-fide. Capt. Wallis, however, of the Dolphin had now given orders that nobody fhould go on fhore to them. Of this prohibition the Author pretty plainly expreffes his difappro bation; as in confequence of it a favourable opportunity was loft of knowing more of thefe people and of their country; the knowledge of which, in all probability, might be of fervice to Great Britain.' It was thought fo formerly, he adds, when Sir John Narborough was fent out by Charles II. to endeavour to open a communication with these Indians; whom he takes to be the very fame nation called by the Spaniards the Bravoes, and who have often made them feel their courage and refolution in the kingdom of Chili.

At the conclufion of the vifit above-mentioned, moft of the Patagonians feemed defirous to go on board the fhip, and fome were fuffered to do fo; where they behaved themselves with propriety, drank water plentifully after the falt beef and bifcuit with which they were regaled, but did not appear to relish wine or ftrong liquors. They likewife fmoaked, and did not feem ftrangers to that cuftom; and were fo much at their ease while on board, that fome little difficulty was found in making them return to the fhore. We fhall only add, that it appears evident that these people have a trade or other communication with the Spaniards; as one of them had a Spanish broad-sword, and others had metal fpurs, and iron and other metal bits to their bridles. The reft in general had bridles, faddles, firrups, and whips, of skins, all of their own making.

Article 6. An Account of the Refult of fome Attempts made to afcertain the Temperature of the Sea, in great Depths, &c. By Charles Douglafs, Efq; F. R. S. &c.

From thefe experiments, which were made between the latitudes of 65 and 71 degrees nearly, and in the months of May, June, and July, we collect that, in May, the thermometer ftanding in the open air at 27 degrees, (Fahrenheit's fcale) rofe at the furface of the fea to 36, and, at the depth of 78 fathoms, to 39 degrees. In other trials during the fame month, all other circumstances being nearly the fame, except that the heat of the air was now 4c, the immerfed thermometer flood

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likewise at 39. In June and July the warmth of the water, at the depth of between 70 and 90 fathoms, appears to have increafed with the increased heat of the air, and of the furface of the water. On July 8, the thermometer ftanding in the open air at 46, being funk 100 fathoms below the furface, stood likewife at the fame height; but on being funk to the depth of 260 fathoms, though not to the bottom, it rofe to 52. We obferve the refults of other trials to have been nearly fimilar. These experiments are not fufficiently numerous to juftify general conclufions: but, from the whole, it may be inferred, that the warmth of the fea water increased, in a flow proportion, as the thermometer was funk to greater depths. Fiftytwo degrees was the highest term to which it was observed to rife in the deepest water.

The Author, during his ftay in Lapland, made all poffible inquiries with regard to Bishop Pontoppidan's fea monster, called the Kraaken; but could not meet with any person who had either conversed with, or who had heard of any one living that had feen fuch an animal. He met, nevertheless, with an intelligent mafter of a Norwegian veffel, who declared that he had, at different times, feen four of thofe other Norwegian prodigies, the Stoor or Sca-worms, as they are here called; one of which, floating upon the furface of the water, he judged could not be less than 25 fathoms long, and about one in thickness. Article 7. De Modo Marmoris albi producendi, Differtatio Epiflalaris. Autore R. E. Rafpe, Sereniff. Haffie Landgravio à Confiliis, & R. S. S.

It is well known, and we have lately had occafion of shewing in particular *, that waters, even the pureft, contain a calcareous or other earth, held in folution by fome of the acids, or by fixed air, and which is precipitated from them on the avolation of the folvent. The ftoney concretions in our tea-kettles fu nifh a familiar inftance of the frequency and great quantity of this earth, even in common waters. This paper contains an account of fome curious obfervations, made a few years ago by the Abbé Vegni, relating to this particular quality in the waters at the bath of St. Philip at Radicofani, in the grand dutchy of Tufcany; and of the Abbe's practical and ufeful application of his discovery, to the improvement of fome of the arts. Thefe waters iffue from a hill, which appears to confift wholly of white and faining marble, and which the Abbé fuppofes to have been intirely formed by the fucceffive precipitations of the tophaccous fubflance evidently contained in thefe waters. This remark of the Abbe's the Author applies and extends, in confirmation of his own fyftem, concerning the formation of mountains in general; and further fuppofes that the various quarries

See Appendix to vol. xlv. page 515.

of