142 M. E. Bipt on Earthquake^, 



another, so that it has become a kind of proverb with the 

 mountaineers of the Andes, that el temblor is always followed 

 by la temblora. As to the physical accidents which result 

 from the phenomena, we might almost say that the Chinese 

 writers describe the convulsions of South America. In proof of 

 this, we shall supply a few quotations. 



" In the year 234 of our era there was an earthquake ; imme- 

 diately a great noise was heard towards the eastward. In 

 the year 1314 there was another, which was accompanied by 

 an explosion resembling thunder." These explosions, which 

 it is necessary to distinguish from subterranean noises, appear 

 to be produced in the atmosphere itself ; sometimes they sound 

 like thunder, whilst frequently they produce the sensation pro- 

 duced by discharges of artillery. During the great earthquake 

 in. New Grenada in 1827, M. Boussingault had the opportunity 

 of hearing explosions of this kind. The shock occurred on the 

 16th of November, at six o'clock in the evening. The earth 

 was violently agitated for about five minutes ; immediately af- 

 terwards there were heard towards the south sixteen detona- 

 tions, which were in every respect similar to the noise of heavy 

 artillery. ' These detonations succeeded each other with a 

 wonderful isochronism ; and, although it was almost night, no 

 light was perceived, and all the phenomena which could be col- 

 lected after the event on being examined, there was no evi- 

 dence that any of the neighbouring volcanoes had been the 

 subject of an eruption : some days after, there was again ^ 

 heard, at eight P. M., a very loud noise, which appeared to 

 proceed from the atmosphere. " Seventy-eight years A. c, a 

 new peak was observed to have risen upon the Tag-Chan^ 

 mountains. This peak was upwards of fifty feet high. In the 

 year 780 B. c, a number of mounds of earth lengthened, and 

 suddenly elevated themselves many feet. In the year 1599, a 

 mountain sank down, and a lake was formed in its place ; and 

 in the middle of a flat country, five heights, great and small, 

 appeared.'** It is impossible, says the reporter, at this place, 

 not to recognise in these citations elevations analogous to those 

 of Jorullo in Mexico, which occurred in September 1759, and 

 of which M. de Humboldt has given a description. " In 771, 

 a violent commotion was felt, which continued for three days ; 



