He was not to have any opportunity, during the next two days, to talk to people who had witnessed the eruption from Pompeii or Herculaneum (indeed he never mentions Pompeii in his letter), so he would not have noticed early, smaller fissures and releases of ash and smoke on the mountain, if such had occurred earlier in the morning.
Non tivo ningunha oportunidade, durante os dous días seguintes, de falar con persoas que foran testemuñas da erupción de Pompeia ou Herculano (de feito nunca menciona Pompeia na súa carta), polo que non se decataría cedo das fisuras e lanzamentos máis pequenos de cinzas e fume na montaña, se tal ocorrese antes na mañá.