Page:Great Neapolitan Earthquake of 1857 Vol 2.djvu/215

154 diffused farther south, has thus descended from early Roman days, as classical men will remember.

At Portella, on the frontier line, the Custom-house officer said they did not feel the shock; they were, however, asleep and in bed. It lies on the nearly naked limestone, of the steep east slope of Monte del Guardia, and but little above the level of the great plain and swamp lake, of Fondi. This side of the plain, is bounded by the third great mountain spur that comes down to the coast, at Terracina, terminating with Monte Rotundo and Paliarolo, close to the N.E. of the town, which stands upon the deep alluvium at the sea level, and at that of the great Pontine swamp, stretching hence far to the north, and with the continuation of this mountain spur, widened into a mountain knot, running parallel and bounding it, on the east side.

At Terracina, the clerics at the grand old cathedral told me, the shock had been quite unnoticed in the town, which stands upon the plain, on deep alluvium, though close at the foot of the spur of limestone mountains, one ridge of which comes down in an almost unbroken range, in a direction from N.N.E. to S.S.W. for several miles, and ends with an abrupt mass overhanging the town and sea; but by those who dwelt "in the mountain" they said the shock had been distinctly felt, though not universally. At Sperlonga, at the opposite side of the roadstead, upon the shore, and on the limestone of the last mountain mass passed by me, viz., that to the east side of the plain of Fondi, they told me the shock had been very sharply felt—enough so to produce alarm.

On looking back at Sperlonga with the telescope, distant about eight miles, it appears to lie, on the free-lying surface of considerable hills of limestone, rising to the north