[Illustration: Fig. 89.

_a_, Remains of Cicero's villa, N. side of Puzzuoli.[714]
_b_, Ancient cliff now inland.
_c_, Terrace (called La Starza) composed of recent submarine deposits.
_d_, Temple of Serapis.

]

_Coast north of Puzzuoli._--If we then pass to the north of Puzzuoli,
and examine the coast between that town and Monte Nuovo, we find a
repetition of analogous phenomena. The sloping sides of Monte Barbaro
slant down within a short distance of the coast, and terminate in an
inland cliff of moderate elevation, to which the geologist perceives at
once that the sea must, at some former period, have extended. Between
this cliff and the sea is a low plain or terrace, called La Starza (_c_,
fig. 89), corresponding to that before described on the southeast of the
town; and as the sea encroaches rapidly, fresh sections of the strata
may readily be obtained, of which the annexed is an example.

Section on the shore north of the town of Puzzuoli:--

Ft. In.

1. Vegetable soil 1 0

2. Horizontal beds of pumice and scoriae, with broken fragments
of unrolled bricks, bones of animals, and marine shells 1 6

3. Beds of lapilli, containing abundance of marine shells,
principally _Cardium rusticum_, _Donax trunculus_, Lam.,
_Ostrea edulis_, _Triton cutaceum_, Lam., and
_Buccinum serratum_, Brocchi, the beds varying in
thickness from one to eighteen inches 10 0

4. Argillaceous tuff, containing bricks and fragments
of buildings not rounded by attrition. 1 6

The thickness of many of these beds varies greatly as we trace them
along the shore, and sometimes the whole group rises to a greater height
than at the point above described. The surface of the tract which they
compose appears to slope gently upwards towards the base of the old
cliffs.

Now, if such appearances presented themselves on the coast of England, a
geologist might endeavor to seek an explanation in some local change in
the set of the tides and currents: but there are scarce any tides in the
Mediterranean; and, to suppose the sea to have sunk generally from
twenty to twenty-five feet since the shores of Campania were covered
with sumptuous buildings is an hypothesis obviously untenable. The
observations, indeed, made during mo