No absolute date establishedWhat a document says
In letter LXV of the inspected Melmoth–Bosanquet translation, Pliny the Younger compares the eruption cloud to a pine tree and says its mountain of origin was initially uncertain at his viewing distance.
What this does and does not establish: This is the wording of a historical English translation of a retrospective letter. The original Latin was not checked, and no absolute eruption date is established here.
No absolute date establishedWhat a document says
In the inspected letter LXV, Pliny the Younger conjectures that his uncle died from suffocation by noxious vapour, mentioning his uncle’s weak and often inflamed throat.
What this does and does not establish: This is the narrator’s conjecture, not a medically established diagnosis. The letter places Pliny the Younger at Misenum rather than at his uncle’s death scene; he describes using both his own observations and information received soon afterwards.
No absolute date establishedAttributed account, undated
In the inspected letter LXVI, Pliny the Younger reports hearing claims that parts of Misenum had fallen or were burning, and says those reports were false.
What this does and does not establish: This is Pliny’s attributed evaluation of rumours, not an independent survey of all damage at Misenum.