1873.] Earthquahe at Kamrup. G5 



ing copies of the following correspondence on the earthquake felt at Kamrup 

 on the 19th December last. 



No. 268ST, dated Sibsagar, the 30th December, 1872. 



From — Colonel H. HoPKOfSON, Governor- General 's Agent, North-East 



Frontier, and Commissioner of Assam. 



To — The Officiating Secretary to the Government of Bengal, General 



Department. 



I have the honor to submit, for the information of Government, an 

 extract from Major Lamb's diary of the 19th December, 1872, regarding an 

 earthquake which occurred in the Kamrup district on that date. I have not 

 heard of the earthquake from any other district, but it appears to have 

 been felt here (Sibsagar) slightly, though I myself did not notice it. 



Extract from the diary of Major Lamb, Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup. 

 Thursday, ldth December. — " On my way back to camp, just as I was 

 emerging from the sal forest,* I heard a sound, which at first I took to be 

 caused by the beating of a large number of dholes or tom-toms, in a village 

 about a mile or more in front of me, a little to the west of north, but after 

 listening for a couple of seconds the sound was evidently progressing rapidly 

 southward, and towards the direction of my camp, which was a mile to the 

 west of where I was at the time, and gradually changed into what one 

 might imagine a strong current of electricity would produce in passing 

 through the earth from pole to pole southwards, shaking and rattling rocks 

 and dispersing fragments in its progress just below the surface of the ground, 

 the huge boulders being hurled down some rocky incline and shaking the 

 very foundations of the earth at each rebound, until at last the sounds 

 became more indistinct and resembled the sound of heavily laden waggons, 

 going with considerable rapidity over a rough hewn rocky road ; and passed 

 off like distant thunder. There was no more possibility of mistaking the 

 direction the sound came from and went in, than there would have been 

 if I had heard only guns fired in two distant places, for each report was 

 distinct, and as the sound passed along, it disturbed first some people in the 

 direction of the village I alluded to, and they set up a shout, next a flock of 

 paddy birds was scared and rose en masse, and still further south and west 

 a herd of cows grazing, suddenly ran together and faced the jungle to the 

 north for a few seconds, and then all turned round and commenced a regular 

 stampede till brought up by a bheel. My turn came next, I was in my 

 howdah and had a pad elephant with me, on which sat a forest ranger who 

 went to show me the teak plantation and reserve. The animals put up their 

 trunks and stood still for a few moments, but hearing the subterranean 

 sounds approaching, both turned and evinced an unmistakable desire to 



* In niouzah Pantan. 



