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from their sleep by the commotion. A very intelligent policeman 

 told me, about ten minutes after the event, that he heard the 

 sound approaching before the shock reached the place where he 

 stood, and felt a strange kind of terror come over himself. "It 

 was," — to use his own words — "more dreadful to hear it coming 

 than to feel it when it came." 



"When the wave passed, the rocking of the earth was so 

 violent that this policeman and a companion found a difficulty in 

 keeping their footing, and were obliged to hold each other to 

 prevent themselves from falling. Immediately afterwards they 

 heard the sound passing away in an easterly direction. 



"Was this movement the effect or shock of some distant 

 earthquake, or was it central with us ; caused by an explosion in 

 the earth's crust directly under this island ? 



Two men highly distinguished by their scientific attain- 

 ments are now engaged in investigations which may throw much 

 light on this subject. The question will be, doubtless, fully dis- 

 cussed at the next meeting of the British Association 



EDWIN JAMES ISBELL. 



