Hearth quakes. ~-D oaf and' Dumb* 95 



EARTHQUAKES. 



A French officer of dragoons, now in garrifon at Lodi, in 

 a letter to his father, dated the 9th of May, gives the follow- 

 ing account: — " I write in hafte to inform you, that an 

 earthquake has been felt here, but that I have met with no 

 accident. We were fitting quietly at breakfaft, when our 

 houfe gave a terrible cram, that fhook us on our feats. We 

 ran out and flew to the barracks. Every thing was over- 

 turned ; the cloaks and portmanteaus rolled about, and the 

 dragoons were tumbled down in attempting to defcend the 

 flairs. Some chimneys were thrown down ; all the people 

 were at prayers in the ftreets. The mock commenced at forty 

 minutes paft ten in the morning, and lafied about three fe- 

 conds. We have efcaped with the fright. We might now 

 laugh were we not much affected, when we learned that about 

 ten miles diftance (three French leagues) the town of Crema 

 was almoft demolished by the earthquake. The inhabitants 

 faved themfelves by flight; and no people were remaining 

 there, except the chaffeurs of the 15th regiment, to prevent 

 plunder. At 40 miles diftanee (about 12 French leagues) the 

 village of Menguin, where there was a fine lake of about ten 

 miles circumference, has been fwallowed up in the lake ; and 

 not a fingle perfon has been faved, nor does a Angle vefiige of 

 that village remain. " 



Letters from Verona (late, that they experienced an earth- 

 quake there on the 12th of May, which extended alfo to the 

 Venetian territories, where, however, it was lefs violent than 

 at Crema and Brefcia. In the latter city, three churches and 

 twelve houfes were thrown down. Bergamo fuftained fome 

 damage alfo. 



After the earthquake, which was felt in the ftates of Parma, 

 feveral fiflures were formed on the heights and in the environs 

 of the town of Bardi, from which a quantity of petroleum 

 iffued. This circumftance has already produced a fall in the 

 price of all the common oils, as it affords light at a much 

 cheaper rate. 



DEAF AND DUMB. 



Some interesting experiments were lately made in the Deaf 

 and Dumb Inftitute at Paris. It has been long known that 

 mod deaf and dumb perfons, when near large cannon which 

 are fixed, or near churches when the bells are rung, give fome 

 indications of hearing. It has, however, not yet been deter- 

 mined with certainty, whether the impreflions made on fuch 

 occafions are produced merely by the violent motion or con- 

 cuflion of the air. The experiments lately made by C. Beyer 

 on this fubject, leave no doubt refpecting this problem. The 

 inftruments which he employed did not emit very ftrong 



tones : 



