I.

HISTORY OF THE MOUNTAIN. 1

Position.--Name.--Mention of Etna by early writers.--Pindar.--
AEschylus.--Thucydides.--Virgil.--Strabo.--Lucretius.--Lucilius
Junior.--Etna the home of early myths.--Cardinal Bembo.--Fazzello.--
Filoteo.--Early Maps of the Mountain.--Hamilton.--Houel.--Brydone.--
Ferrara.--Recupero.--Captain Smyth.--Gemellaro; his Map of Etna.--
Elie de Beaumont.--Abich.--Hoffmann.--Von Waltershausen's _Atlas
des Aetna_.--Lyell.--Map of the Italian Stato Maggiore.--Carlo
Gemellaro.--Orazio Silvestri.

CHAPTER II.

PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE MOUNTAIN. 26

Height.--Radius of Vision from the summit.--Boundaries.--Area.--
Population.--General aspect of Etna.--The Val del Bove.--Minor
Cones.--Caverns.--Position and extent of the three Regions.--
Regione Coltivata.--Regione Selvosa.--Regione Deserta.--Botanical
Regions.--Divisions of Rafinesque-Schmaltz, and of Presl.--Animal
life in the upper Regions.

CHAPTER III.

ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN. 43

The most suitable time for ascending Etna.--The Ascent commenced.--
Nicolosi.--Etna mules.--Night journey through the upper Regions of
the mountain.--Brilliancy of the Stars.--Proposed Observatory on
Etna.--The Casa Inglesi.--Summit of the Great Crater.--Sunrise
from the summit.--The Crater.--Descent from the Mountain.--
Effects of Refraction.--Fatigue of the Ascent.

CHAPTER IV.

TOWNS SITUATED ON THE MOUNTAIN. 62

Paterno.--Ste. Maria di Licodia.--The site of the ancient town of
Aetna.--Biancavilla.--Aderno.--Sicilian Inns.--Adranum.--Bronte.--
Randazzo.--Mascali.--Giarre.--Aci Reale.--Its position.--The
Scogli de'Ciclopi.--Catania, its early history, and present
condition.

CHAPTER V.

ERUPTIONS OF THE MOUNTAIN. 79

Their frequency within the historical period.--525 B.C.--477 B.C.--
426 B.C.--396 B.C.--140 B.C.--134 B.C.--126 B.C.--122 B.C.--
49 B.C.--43 B.C.--38 B.C.--32 B.C.--40 A.D.--72.--253.--420.--812.--
1169.--1181.--1285.--1329.--1333.--1371.--1408.--1444.--1446.--1447.--
Close of the Fifteenth Century.--1536.--1537.--1566.--1579.--1603.--
1607.--1610.--1614.--1619.--1633.--1646.--1651.--1669.--1682.--
1688.--1689.--1693.--1694.--1702