of which they were never deprived either by
ice or snow. To our utter astonishment,
we saw horses in the most miserable state of
leanness, in the richest meadows, and even
actually starved to death, having preferred
eating substances the most injurious, such
as the wood of houses, the hair from each
other’s coats, or whatever else was within their
reach, rather than touch the grass of last
year’s crop, still remaining in the pastures.
This appears to me to be a sufficient proof
of the poisonous state of the herbage, during
the year 1783; and, although the circumstance
has not yet been investigated, I am
fully convinced that the entrails of the
horses have been equally, with those of
other animals, infected with the distemper.
The few inhabitants, who had still left
them some of the old hay, of the year 1782,
preserved their cattle in a healthy and good
condition ; but even here, when the new hay
came into use, the disease began to appear
among them.
I have farther to remark, that, during
the last summer, several of the youngep
beasts were recovered by feeding upon the
new grass.
It might seem contradictory) were I here
to assert, that the whole destruction among
the cattle is to be considered merely as an
effect of the volcanic eruption; because I
have before stated) that, in certain districts,
which were within the operation of the fire,
no particular distemper has yet made its
appearance. I must, nevertheless, still maintain
my opinion, that the fire has mostly
contributed towards it: since this was, beyond
a doubt, the cause of the unwholesome air
and frequent tempests, as well as of the
failure of the crops of grass and hay, in the*
summer of 1783.
The cattle had, at the close of that season,
become remarkably lean, and consequently,
were rendered unfit to withstand the rigors
of the ensuing winter, one of the most
severe hitherto known. The inhabitants had
not, by any means, a sufficiency of provender
for them ; nor were they aware, at first, of
the unwholesome and poisonous quality of
that which they did possess. It may be