We cannot conclude thefe accounts of earthquakes and eruptions, without taking notice of what the Rev. Mr. John Mitchell, of Queen's College, Cambridge, has lately published concerning them. His conjectures are, that the immediate caufe of earthquakes is a fubterraneous explofion, and that the cause of the fubterraneous explosion is a quantity of water fuddenly breaking in upon a fubterranecus fire, by which a vapour is inftantly produced, the quantity and elaftic force of which are equal to all the phænomena of earthquakes all his obfervations tend to confirm thefe conjectures, which feem perfectly to coincide with all the phænomena of earthquakes; and fuch phænomena are here faithfully and carefully collected, related and compared. In fhort, it is the beft tract upon the subject that has yet appeared.

A defcription of Ingleborough, a mountain in Yorkshire, figned PASTOR. With an indication of fome other places remarkable for natural curiofities in the north of England.

Ngleborough is fituated in the weft riding of the county of York; the wefterly and northerly part of it lies in the parish of Bentham; the eafterly in the parish of • Horton in Pibbledale; the foutherly in the parish of Clapham. It is Ekewife a part of four manors. The manor of Ingleton, to the weft, belonging to - Parker, efq; the manor of Newby, to the co-heirs or the late duke of Montagu; the anor of Clapham, to Jofias Morly, efq; and the manor of Auftwick, to James Shuttleworth, efq;

It is a mountain, fingularly eminent, whether you regard its height, or the immenfe base upon which it ftands. It is near twenty miles, in circumference, and hath Clapham, a church town, to the fouth; Ingleton to the weit; Chapel in the Dale to the north; and Selfide, a fmall hamlet, to the eaft; from each of which places the rife, in fome parts, is even and gradual; in others, rugged and perpendicular. In this mountain rife confiderable ftreams, which at length fall into the Irish fea. The land round the bottom is fine fruitful paflure, interfperfed with many acres of limestone rocks. As you afcend the mountain, the land is more barren, and under the furface is peat mofs, in many places two or three yards deep, which the country people cut up, and dry for burning, inftead of coal. As the mountain, rifes, it becomes more rugged and perpendicular, and is at length fo fteep that it cannot be afcended without great difficulty, and in fome places not at all. In many parts there are fine quarries of flate, which the neighbouring inhabitants ufe to cover their houses; there are alfo many loofe ftones, but no limestones; yet, near the bafe, no ftones but lime-stone are to be found. The loofe ftones near the fummit the people call geret Stone. The foot of the mountain abounds with fine fprings on every fide, and on the weft fide there is a very remarkable spring near the fummit. The top is very level, but fo dry and barren that it affords little grafs, the rock being but barely covered with earth. It is faid to be about a mile in circumference, and feveral perfons now living fay, that they have feen races

upon

thefe fwallows, or holes, called Allan Pott; and after paffing under the earth about a mile, they burst out again, and flow into the river Ribble, whofe head or fpring is but a little further up the valley. The depth of this fwallow or hole, could never be ascertained; it is about 20 poles in circumference, not perfectly circular, but rather oval. In wet foggy weather it fends out a fmoke, or mitt, which may be feen at a confiderable diftance. Not far from this hole, nearly north, is another hole, which may be cafily · defcended. In fome place, the roof is four or five yards high, and its width is the fame; in tome places not above a yard; and was it not for the run of water, it is not to be known how far you might walk, by the help of a candle, or other light. There is likewise another hole or chafm, a little weft from the other two, which cannot be defcended without difficulty: you are no fooner entered than you have a fubterraneous paffage, fometimes wide and fpacious, fometimes fo narrow you are obliged to make use of both hands, as well as fect, to crawl a confiderable way; and as I was informed, fome perfons have gone feveral hundred yards, and might have gone much further, durft they have ventured. There are a great many more holes, or caverns, well worth the notice of a traveller : fome dry, fome having a continual run of water; fuch as BlackfideCove, Sir William's Cove, Atkinson's Chamber, &c. all whofe curiofities are more than I can defcribe. There is likewife, partly fouth eaft, a fmall rivulet, which falls into a place con-. fiderably deep, called Long-kin; there is likewife another fwallow, or hole, called Johnfon's Jacket

upon it. Upon that part of the top, facing Lancaster and the Irish fea, there are ftill to be feen the dimenfions of an houfe, and the remains of what the country people call a beacon, viz. a place erected with ftones, three or four yards high, afcended with ftone ftairs; which ferved in old time, as old people tell us, to alarm the country, upon the approach of an enemy, a perfon being always kept there upon watch, in the time of war, who was to give notice in the night, by fire, to other watchmen placed upon other mountains, within view of which there are many, particularly Whernfide, Woefall, Camfell, Pennygent, and Pennlehill. There are likewife difcoverable a great many other mountains in Weftmoreland and Cumberland, befides the town of Lancaster, from which it is diftant about 20 miles. The weft and north fides are moft fteep and rocky; there is one part to the fouth, where you may afcend on horfeback; but whether the work of nature, or of art, I cannot fay. A part of the faid mountain jutts out to the north-east near a mile, but fomewhat below the fummit; this part is called Parkfell; another part jutts out in the fame manner, near a mile towards the eaft, and is called Simon-fell; there is likewife another part to wards the fouth, called Little-Ingleborough; the fummits of all which are much lower than the top of the mountain itself. Near the bafe, there are holes or chafms, called fwallows, fuppofed to be the remains of Noah's deluge; they are among the lime-ftone rocks, and are open to an incredible depth. The fprings towards the eaft all come together, and fall into one of

H 3

hole,

an acquaintance with the natural hiftory of their own country, would do well to fet out from Lancaster, and from thence proceed to Cartmel, Windermeer, Ulverstone, Furnefs-abbey, Pile of Foudrey, Millum-Castle, Ravenglafs, Whitehaven, Cockermouth, Boulness, and Carlisle; they would have frequent reason to lament the incredible ignorance or careleffness of those who have undertaken to give an account of the curiofities of Great Britain.

One of the curiofities they would meet with in this tour, is a cavern upon a common belonging to a little village called Leck, in the N. E. part of Lancashire. The cavern itfelf is called by the neighbourhood Eafe-gill-kirk. The entrance into it has the appearance of a pointed gothic arch, about 20 yards high, and proportionably wide. Within, it looks like a lofty fpacious dome, variegated with fretwork, of almoft every colour. There are feveral paffages out of it, which lead under the hill; but one muft have lights and clues to examine them with fafety and pleasure.

which cannot be experienced but by an actual furvey.

It would be unpardonable not to mention the black lead mine at the head of the valley of Borrodale, as being one of the greateft curiofitics in England, or perhaps in Europe. Neither ought the falt fpring to be paft by, being very near the edge of the road, at the head of the lake. I have mentioned this part of the country chiefly on account of the profpects, with which every traveller, who has any taste for the wild and romantic, cannot but be highly delighted; the vallies of Enerdale, Buttermeer, Loweswater and Lorton, furnish us with fome others of the fame nature; but not perhaps quite fo beautiful or extenfive. But to the antiquarian I should point out feveral other as worthy of notice, fuch as Eleborough, near Maryport, where may be feen feveral pieces of Roman antiquities: and Wigton, near which place appear the veftigia of that famous Roman ftation, which has for many years gone by the name of Old Carlifle, where have been found a great number of very valuable antiquities, as votive altars, infcriptions, &c.

When our traveller has vifited Carlisle, no doubt but he will have a defire to see what remains of the Picts wall, in this county. Many pieces of antiquity are to be feen at Netherby, Scaleby-caftle, Brampton, Lanercost, and Irthington.

Corby is remarkable for the pleafantnefs of its fituation; and, oppofite to it on the other fide of the Eden, Wetherall, where are fome rooms dug out of the folid rock, in a place very difficult of afcent, fuppofed to have been the habitation

*

of fome hermit; or, perhaps, places of fecurity for the monks to retire to in time of danger. Near Penrith, a little below the confluence of the Eimot and Eden, is alfo a large grotto dug out of the rock, faid to have been once a place of fome ftrength, known by the name of Ifis Parlifh. And at Little Salkeld, not very far from thence, may be feen that great curiofity called Long Meg and her daughters, not perhaps well accounted for by any of our antiquarians.

When speaking of profpects, I ought to have mentioned that vaitly extenfive and much admired one from Warnal, which takes in all the low country, and bounded on the north by Solway Frith, and a fine chain of Scottish mountains. Not far from hence, near- Denton's, efquire, is a petrifying fpring. There is also another in the eftate of fir William Dalston, at Uldale, out of which have been taken feveral large and extremely curious petrifactions of mofs, leaves, roots, &c. but it does not appear that this mutation would be produced in any fubftance put therein, but in a rotation of a prodigious number of years. In fome parts of the country are fome mineral waters, much reforted to at the season, and several rich mines of lead, fome copper, &c.

Upon the whole, from what I have faid, it may appear that Cumberland is as well worth visiting, on feveral accounts, as most other counties in England.

An account of that part of America, which is the nearest to the land of Kamtchatka. Extracted from the

defcription of Kamchatka by Pra feffor Krafhennicoff, printed at Peterburg, in two volumes, 40 in 1759; and tranflated by Dr, Dumarefque, chaplain to the English factory at Petersburg.

Read before the Royal Society, Jan. 24, 1760.

HE continent of America,

TH

which now is known from 52 to 60° of north latitude, extends from the fouth-weft to the north

east, every where almost at an equal distance from the Kamtchadalian fhores, viz. about 37° longitude; for the Kamtchadalian fhore, also, from the Kurilian Lopatka [the fhovel] to cape Tchukotski, in a strait line (except where there are bays and capes) lies in the very fame direction. So that one has ground to infer, that thofe two lands were once joined, efpecially in thofe parts, were lies cape Tchukotski; for, be-, tween that and the coaft that projects, which is found at the east, directly over against it, the distance does not exceed two degrees and a half.

Steller, in his Memoirs, brings four arguments to prove this:

1. The ftate of the fhores, which, both at Kamptchatka and in Ameri❤ ca, are cragged.

2. The many capes, which advance into the fea, from 30 to 60 verftes.

3. The many iflands in the fea, which feparate Kamtchatka from America.

4. The fituation of those islands, and the inconfiderable breadth of that fea.

The fea, which divides Kamtchat

ka