e of an irregular cone
with a widespread base. Some not clearly understood law of refraction
must aid the human vision to discern these objects at such great
distances beyond the horizon. The most favorable time of the day to seek
a view of far-away AEtna is at sunrise or near sunset. The reader
familiar with the White Mountains of New Hampshire has doubtless seen
Portland harbor, in the State of Maine, from the top of Mount
Washington, though this is a distance of about eighty miles. In this
case, the object which is sighted at such long range is at sea level,
while AEtna is over ten thousand feet above the surface of the
Mediterranean Sea. Sailors describe the view of far-distant objects as
promoted by "atmospheric looming," which perhaps applies in this
instance, when one not only sees the low-lying coast of Italy, but it
appears to be hardly more than twenty or thirty miles away.

The idea of this group of islands being in some way connected, beneath
the bed of the sea, with the volcano just named is no longer
entertained. The Maltese islands have often experienced severe shocks of
earthquake, but, so far as is known, never at the time when AEtna was in
eruption. Sir Walter Scott, in his journal, mentions having experienced
a shock while he was on a visit to the island, of which the inhabitants
seemed to take little, if any, notice, showing that it was not a very
uncommon occurrence. On the Pacific side of South America, say at
Valparaiso, it must be a very decided demonstration of this sort to
cause remark. The most destructive earthquake in Malta of which we can
find any record was in 1693, when the shocks were quite severe, and
continued at brief intervals for three successive days, producing great
consternation and injury. No loss of life is mentioned as having
occurred, but the dwelling-houses and fortifications of Valletta
suffered considerably, and one or two churches were nearly destroyed in
the city. At Citta Vecchia, in the middle of the larger island, the
dome, towers, and in fact the entire walls of the cathedral were leveled
with the ground by a succession of violent shocks.

There is a remarkable tradition, which has been handed down from
generation to generation for centuries past, that the time will come
when Malta and its dependencies will be swallowed up by the sea, and
that where it is now so securely anchored the Mediterranean will be
navigable for ships of any size. When we recall the fact that