446 Supposed Connection of Meteoric Phenomena, 



when it ceased, the shocks came on. These shocks were felt at 

 Geneva, and there again, on January 18. (9£ p.m.), on the Lake of 

 Constance, in the Pays de Vaud and Zurich; at which latter place 

 they were preceded several days by lightning as in summer. There 

 were earthquakes this year in Italy and Sweden. 

 1739. Night of January 17 — 18. There arose such a storm in Switzerland as 

 was never remembered ; whole forests were torn up by the roots. It 

 was felt by sea and land all over Europe. [Vulcano (Lipari) was 

 in eruption in 1739, as well as Tobaltschink in Kamtschatka, 

 which was violently agitated. In November, 1738, there were 

 earthquakes in England ; in 1737, in the Valais and Pays de Vaud, 

 and Vesuvius was in eruption. The year 1738 was a rainy year. 



1755. Nov. 1. The earthquake of Lisbon. At Augsbourg all the needles 



changed their position at the time of the shocks, as well as in 

 other parts of Germany. There was also a strong s. e. wind at 

 Augsbourg. The barometer at Berne was at 21*10 in., and fell 

 in the evening to 25'6 in. Reaumur's thermometer, to the 

 north, unattached, was, at 6 a.m., at 24° above zero (say 37° F.) j 

 in the evening it was 6° (say 45° F.).* The mean height of the 

 barometer at Berne is 26*2 in.; at Zurich, 26*5 in. (Scheuchzer) ; 

 at Basle, 27 in. During the night there was an extremely violent 

 west wind at Basle. The barometer was there at 26*2^. At Lis- 

 bon it was 27*7 in. It is seldom so low at Basle as then. There 

 was a violent tempest there at the time. At Lisbon the thermo- 

 meter was at 14° (64° F.) ; the wind n. n. e. 

 1755 (Nov. 18. and 19., Dec. 9., Dec. 17., Dec. 27.) There were 

 and numerous earthquakes all over Italy, France, Germany, Switz- 



1756. erland, &c. The particulars are too numerous and long for 

 extract here. (See Bertrand, Mem. iv. and v.) The ac- 

 companying phenomena were such as are before given. Some 

 of them deserve notice now.f At Berne, Dec. 9. was the coldest 

 day of the season : the thermometer suddenly fell from 8|° above 

 zero to zero (difF. 51° F.). The season became mild and moist 

 afterwards. At Yverdun there was a smell of sulphur. In many 

 places there was a sound as of a great hail, though there was 

 none; and this was also heard as well where there were no shocks 

 as elsewhere. In the valleys of Neufchatel there was a great 

 snow since October, without being cold. It fell again with an air 

 much warmer than corresponded with the season or time. Dread- 

 ful rains followed ; in Languedoc there was an impetuous north 

 wind. All the lakes, rivers, and springs overflowed in Switzerland 

 after Dec. 9. The rain could not have caused this. Subterranean 

 waters were disgorged in the Pays de Vaud, after three years 

 drought. No such floods ever known amongst the mountains of 

 Basle (Gagnebin de la Fcrnere's Relation), and never such storms 

 as on Jan. 13. and 19. At Morat the magnetic needle declined 

 to the west at the time of the shock ; and elsewhere singular 

 changes of the poles took place. (" Y a-t-il eu quelque changement 

 dans le cours de la matiere magnetique qui environne le globe ? 

 La chose n'est pas impossible.") At Aix, in Savoy, there was a 

 smell of sulphur. The shock of December 27. was preceded, at 



* Thermometer at Berne, Feb. 2. 1830, was 8| F. below zero (M. N. H., 

 vii. 246.) 



f Nov. 18. 1755, there were earthquakes in New York and Pennsyl- 

 vania. 



