he hand they took
the consistence of clay, but they hardened in the fire, and could then
be reduced to powder. They have been considered to be the _debris_ of
felspathic rocks, disintegrated by the heat of the lava, and blown out
by the expansive power of disengaged gas.

The eruption of 1852 was one of the grandest of the recorded eruptions
of Etna. More than 2,000,000,000 cubic feet of red hot lava was spread
over three square miles. This eruption was minutely described by Carlo
Gemellaro, in a memoir entitled, "_Breve ragguaglio della eruzione
dell' Etna del 21 Agosto, 1852_."

77. In October 1864, frequent shocks of earthquakes were felt by the
dwellers on Etna. In January clouds of smoke were emitted by the great
crater, and roaring sounds were heard. On the night of the 30th a
violent shock was felt on the north-east side of the mountain, and a
mouth opened below Monte Frumento, from which lava was ejected. It
flowed at a rate of about a mile a day, and ultimately divided into two
streams. By March 10th the new mouths of fire had increased to seven in
number, and they were all situated along a line stretching down from the
summit. The three upper craters gave forth loud detonations three or
four times a minute. Professor Orazio Silvestri has devoted a quarto of
267 pages to an account of _I Fenomeni Vulcanici presentati dall'Etna
nel 1863-64-65-66_.

78. In August 1874 the inhabitants of the towns situated on the north,
west, and east sides of the mountain, were awakened by loud subterranean
rumblings. Soon afterwards a formidable column of black smoke issued
from the crater, accompanied by sand, scoriae, and ignited matter
(_infuocata materia_). Severe shocks of earthquake were felt, the centre
of impulsion being apparently situated on the northern flank of the
mountain, at a height of 2450 metres above the level of the sea. Some
small _bocche eruttive_ opened near the great crater, and ejected lava,
but the quantity was comparatively small, and but little damage was
done. An account of this eruption was given by Silvestri in 1874, in a
small pamphlet entitled, _Notizie sulla eruzione dell' Etna del 29
Agosto, 1874_. Since 1874 the mountain has been in a quiescent state.
The centre of disturbance was at an elevation of 2450 metres (7600 feet)
above the sea, on the north side of the crater, and between the minor
cones known as the _Fratelli Pii_ and _Monte Grigio_. A new crater,
having an elliptical contour, an