610 Diodorus Siculus, xv. 49. 4 _sq._ Among the most famous seats of the worship of Poseidon in Peloponnese were Taenarum in Laconia, Helice in Achaia, Mantinea in Arcadia, and the island of Calauria, off the coast of Troezen. See Pausanias, ii. 33. 2, iii. 25. 4-8, vii. 24. 5 _sq._, viii. 10. 2-4. Laconia as well as Achaia has suffered much from earthquakes, and it contained many sanctuaries of Poseidon. We may suppose that the deity was worshipped here chiefly as the earthquake god, since the rugged coasts of Laconia are ill adapted to maritime enterprise, and the Lacedaemonians were never a seafaring folk. See C. Neumann und J. Partsch, _Physikalische Geographie von Griechenland_, pp. 330 _sq._, 335 _sq._ For Laconian sanctuaries of Poseidon see Pausanias, iii. 11. 9, iii. 12. 5, iii. 14. 2 and 7, iii. 15. 10, iii. 20. 2, iii. 21. 5, iii. 25. 4. M152 Poisonous mephitic vapours. 611 Sir Ch. Lyell, _Principles of Geology_,12 i. 391 _sqq._, 590. 612 “Extract from a Letter of Mr. Alexander Loudon,” _Journal of the Royal Geographical Society_, ii. (1832) pp. 60-62; Sir Ch. Lyell, _Principles of Geology_,12 i. 590. 613 Sir Ch. Lyell, _l.c._ M153 Places of Pluto or Charon. The valley of Amsanctus. 614 Lucretius, vi. 738 _sqq._ 615 Strabo, v. 4. 5, p. 244, xii. 8. 17, p. 579, xiii. 4. 14, p. 629, xiv. 1. 11 and 44, pp. 636, 649; Cicero, _De divinatione_, i. 36. 79; Pliny, _Nat. Hist._ ii. 208. Compare [Aristotle,] _De mundo_, 4, p. 395 B, ed. Bekker. 616 Servius on Virgil, _Aen._ vii. 84, who says that some people looked on Mefitis as a god, the male partner of Leucothoë, to whom he stood as Adonis to Venus or as Virbius to Diana. As to Mefitis see L. Preller, _Römische Mythologie_3 (Berlin, 1881-1883), ii. 144 _sq._; R. Peter, _s.v._ “Mefitis” in W. H. Roscher’s _Lexikon der griech. und röm. Mythologie_, ii. 2519 _sqq._ 617 Virgil, _Aen._ vii. 563-571, with the commentary of Servius; Cicero, _De divinatione_, i. 36. 79; Pliny, _Nat. Hist._ ii. 208. 618 Letter of Mr. Hamilton (British Envoy at the Court of Naples), in _Journal of the Royal Geographical Society_, ii. (1832) pp. 62-65; W. Smith’s _Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography_, i. 127; H. Nissen, _Italische Landeskunde_ (Berlin, 1883-1902), i. 242, 271, ii. 819 _sq._ Another place in Italy infested by poisonous exhalations is the grotto called _dei cani_ at Naples. It is described by Addison in his “Remarks on Several Parts of Italy” (_Works_, London, 1811, vol. ii. pp. 89-91). M154 Sanctuaries of Charon or Pluto in Caria. 619 Strabo, xiv. 1. 11, p. 636.