Mr Reid's Notice of an Earthquahe at Saena in Peru. 175 



louder, than distant thunder. This lasted for about ten seconds, 

 and was followed by a violent vertical movement of the earth, 

 which continued for nearly seventy seconds more. Many of the 

 houses were thrown down, the walls of others shattered in every 

 direction, and in some cases pieces of building were detached 

 from the middle of walls, leaving the rest of the edifice unin- 

 jured. This earthquake ruined the unfortunate town of Arica, 

 was felt at the very extremity of the republic to the south, and 

 as far north as Camana, a line covering seven degrees of la*titude 

 along the coast. It was also felt at sea, at a distance of 100 

 miles from Arica, and at Chuquisaca, 400 miles inland, shaking 

 to its centre not only the immense breadth of the main Cordil- 

 lera, but the lateral chain of Portosi, on the eastern extremity 

 of which Chuquisaca is situated. The great shock was followed 

 by two others at 11 p. m., and 5 of the following morning, and 

 the earth continued sensibly trembling for at least a fortnight 

 afterwards, up to the 7th of February 1832. I counted ninety- 

 seven distinct shocks, and from that day the greater part of the 

 earthquakes we have had have taken place without the noise 

 which used formerly to precede them. 



On the morning of the 18th September last, precisely at 6 

 o'clock, another dreadful convulsion of the earth occurred here, 

 which entirely destroyed at least 1000 of the 1200 houses of 

 this unfortunate city, besides completing the utter ruin of Arica 

 and the other small towns of the province. This earthquake 

 commenced in its full force without any preceding noise. It lasted 

 forty-three seconds, and the movement of the earth was horizon- 

 tal, with two or three undulatory oscillations^ the most alarming 

 and dangerous of all. Those who, like myself, may have fre- 

 quently experienced similar things, will easily agree with me, 

 that it is no time for exactness in calculation, nor could I speak 

 with precision to the duration of this convulsion in which my 

 personal safety was in many ways threatened ; but for the fact 

 of having had my watch at the moment of its occurrence in my 

 hand, and having preserved presence of mind enough to note 

 the instant when it ceased, I am inclined to believe that three 

 oscillations occurred every second. The subterranean noise was 

 dreadful, infinitely louder than any thunder I ever heard, and 

 I have been in many thunder-storms on the summits of the 



