Addison, Joseph: Remarks on several parts of Italy: &c. in the years 1701, 1702, 1703 (London: Tonson, 1718)

i82, Antiquities and Curiosiities
sinksahnost a Foot in the Earth, and
generally loses half a Step by Aiding
backwards. When we had climb’d this
Mountain we discover’d the Top of it
to be a wide naked Plain, smoaking with
Sulphur in several Places, and probably
undermin’d with Fire, for we conclu-
ded it to be hollow by the Sound it
made under our Feet. In the midst of
this Plain stands a high Hill in the fiiape
of a Sugar-loaf, so very steep that there
would be no mounting or descendingit,
were not it made up of such a loose
crumbled Earth as I have before descri-
bed. The Air of this Place must be
very much impregnated with Salt-peter,
as appears by the Specks of it on the
Sides of the Mountain, where one can
scarce find a Stone that has not the Top
white with it. After we had, with
much ado, conquer’d this Hill, we saw
in the midst of it the present Mouth of
Tefwvio^ that goes shelving down on all
Sides ’till above a Hundred Yards deep,
as near as we could guess, and has about
Three or Four Hundred in the Diame-
ter, sor it seems a perfect Round. This
vast Hollow is generally fill’d with
Smoak, but, by the Advantage of a
Wind that blew for us, we had a very
clear and distinct sight os it. The Sides
appear