130 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA 



Regular Meeting, April 18th, 1864. 

 Dr. Trask in the Chair. 



Present, nine members. 



W. S. Brigham and Horace Mann were elected corresponding 

 members, being about to proceed to the Sandwich Islands to make 

 a thorough scientific exploration, under the auspices of the Boston 

 Society of Natural History. 



The name of Mr. Louis Janin, elected in 1861, but accidentally 

 omitted from the list of members, was directed to be published in 

 the proceedings. 



Donations to the Cabinet : About two hundred specimens of 

 rocks and ores from Humboldt River District, by Mr. Highton. 



Dr. Trask presented the following paper : 



Earthquakes in California from 1800 to 1864. 



BY JOHN B. TRASK. 



As the subject of earthquakes for some years past has engrossed much of the 

 attention of scientific observers, I have, at the request of several members of the 

 Academy, made out a complete report upon the occurrence of those phenomena 

 upon this coast, as far as personal observation is concerned, and also so far only 

 as we have authentic records prior to the occupancy of the present State of 

 California by the American Government. 



The present paper contains, probably, all that can be verified, and places the 

 subject in a form to which future reference may be made by other observers 

 abroad ; thus enabling them and ourselves also, to bring together the statistical 

 facts which, it may be hoped, will help to form some rational theory in future 

 years relating to the causal agency of those phenomena, as well as the physical 

 laws governing their action. 



In this paper I have reduced the periods of their occurrence for the thirteen 

 years past to astronomical time, in all instances where the hour on which the 

 shocks occurred have been known with certainty, and, without attempting to 

 combat any theory that has been advanced, or the suggestion of another relating 

 to their origin, their history has been left as a record of facts, which will 

 become useful when others of like character accompany them. Our record, in 

 this State alone has reached a little more than one-tenth of the number on which 

 M. Mallet has founded his theory of their origin, and which were drawn from all 

 parts of the world, and although this may seem a large proportion for this dis- 

 trict of country alone since 1850, it is not to be presumed that a greater frequency 

 of shocks have occurred here than elsewhere, but that the same attention has 

 not been bestowed in recording their occurrence in other countries where they 

 are known to be much more frequent and severe than upon our coast. 



It might be asked why, if such unquestionable frequency occurs within the 



