VESUVIUS, a famous burning mountain situated six miles east from the city of Naples in Italy.
One side of this volcano is well cultivated and fertile, producing great plenty of vines; but the south and west sides are entirely covered with cinders and ashes; while from the top a sulphureous smoke, and sometimes most violent flames, &c. as in other volcanoes. From the foot of the mountain to the top is about three Italian miles, but the perpendicular height is only 3700 feet. The ascent on these sides, by reason of the steepness of the mount, is very difficult and tedious; but there are some peasants who live about the mountain, and for a small consideration assist travellers in clambering up. They wear leather belts, of which the strangers take hold in order to render their ascent more easy. The mountain has two tops, one of which only is properly called Vesuvius; the other goes by the name of Sammes, and Sir William Hamilton is of opinion that it is the latter which the ancients called Vesuvius.
The first remarkable eruption of Vesuvius happened in the year 79, in the reign of the emperor Titus, when the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were entirely buried by the stones and ashes thrown out. Incredible mischief also was done to the neighbouring country, and numbers of people lost their lives, among whom was Pliny the Elder, whose curiosity having induced him to approach too near, he was suffocated by the noxious steams. This eruption appears to have been very violent; but though it is the first on record, it is the opinion of the best judges, that it was by no means the first which had happened. Since that time, however, they have been much more frequent, and we have accounts of 29 different eruptions. Of these a very remarkable one happened in 1767; of which some particulars are related under the article Ætna, for the sake of illustrating the history of that mountain. But by far the most remarkable which is recorded either of Vesuvius or any other mountain, happened in the year 1779, and is particularly related by Sir William Hamilton in the Philosophical
Transactions for 1780; to which we beg leave to refer the reader, as the detail would be here improper after the full account given of volcanic phenomena under the article above-mentioned. See also VOLCANO.