OF TUE ITth of decembee, 1896. 203 



noticed at Bishop's Stortforii by several persons. — Herts Sf Essex 

 Observer, 19 Bee, 1896. 



It [the eaith(]uake] was scarcely noticed in the disti'ict generally. 

 — Mardon Bros., Herts i^- JEssex Observer, Uishop^s Stortford. 



I add a few notes relating to localities in adjoining counties. 



Bedfordshire. 



Luton. — At Luton two or three distinct shocks are stated to 

 have been felt, and several persons allege that their houses 

 trotubled for fully thirty seconds, causing many articles of furniture 

 to be shifted. -Herts Mercury, 19 Dec, 1896. 



Shillington. — The shock was felt here. — William Hare, Pirton, 

 Hitch in. 



EiGGLESW.iDE. — The earthquake was distinctly felt here at 

 5.30 a.m. Persons living near the Market Place were aronsed, and 

 thought the old Shambles had fallen ; and on the Station Road 

 houses aud beds were shaken. — Herts Express, 26 Bee., 1896. 



Himtingdonsh ire. 



HoNTiNGDON^. — The Earthquake — Several people assert that they 

 were awakened from their sleep by hearing a noise, and through the 

 shaking which took place, but it does not appear to have been very 

 marked. On the other hand, there were many people up at the 

 time, and they heard or felt nothing. — Cambridge Independent Press, 

 24 Bee., 1896. 



Camhridgeshire. 



Cambridge. — [The Observatory.] — We have no special instru- 

 ments for recording seismic disturbances. Mercury readily trans- 

 mits tremors, and the earthquake of 1884* was detected here by 

 means of the circular trough of mercury under the transit 

 instrument. However, as the earth(]^uake of 17th December 

 occurred so early in the morning there was no chance of any of 

 the observers being fortunate enough to detect it in that way. 



The corrections for the transit instrument are obtained with 

 great exactness, and any slight shift of the telescope would at once 

 have been detected by means of the star reductions. However, the 

 corrections have been carefully scrutinized, and, as far as can be 

 made out, there is no indication whatever of any shift of the in- 

 strument. — Letter from Miss A. Walker, The Observatory, Cambridge. 



The seismic disturbance which passed over England on Thursday 

 morning was felt between 5.34 and 5.35 a.m. by Mr. Howell Pain, 

 of Sidney Street, who was awakened by the shock. — Cambridge 

 Independent Press, 18 Bee, 1896. 



Ely. — The Earthquake. — The following letter appears in a 

 London contemporary : — Sir, I see no notice in this morning's 



* "Mr. H. Todd, writing from the Cambridge Observatory, states that at 

 the time of the earthquake, observations for the determination of the level of the 

 transit instrument were in progress, and the mercury was so disturbed that the 

 observer had to wait some time, thinking that it arose from some waggon passing 

 along the road." — ' Tlce East Aiii/lian Earthquake o/1884,' p. 128. 



