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 earth, and sea, to the destruction of men, herds, and fields, and all the birds and fishes ; that the sun was as it were eclipsed and the day turned into night ; that Rome was covered with showers of ashes, which extended even to Africa, Syria, and Egypt ; that Herculaneum and Pompeii were destroyed ; and, in short, that the scene was so dreadful, and the confusion of the inhabitants so great, those who were at sea running to land, those who were at land to sea ; those who were in houses making for the fields, those who were in the fields for houses ; that people thought either that chaos was returned again, or that the universal conflagration of the earth was commencing.

Dreadful as this calamity was, it appears that the cities were not buried so suddenly, but that the inhabitants had time to save themselves and the most valuable of their effects ; very few bones have been hitherto found, and very little money, plate, or other moveables of great value.

The first discovery of subterranean ruins, was made in the year 1689 ; when on opening the earth at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, the workmen observed regular strata of earth and vitrified stone. This disposed the owner of the ground to continue the digging, and at the depth of twenty-one feet he found some coals, iron