PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 14s 



fore. The former fhocks, it feems, were 

 undulatoryj this was a fudden perpendi- 

 cular heave. As it did not laft (to my 

 apprehenfion) more than two feconds, it 

 did little or no damage ; none indeed that 

 I hear of, excepting feme rents in church- 

 es, and other heavy buildings. 



I have fince thought of a method to 

 determine the ftrength and diredion of 

 any future earthquake. A vefTel, the por- 

 tion of a fphere of 3 or 4 feet diameter, 

 fet on a ground floor, is powdered over on 

 the infide by a barber's puflF; then a fuf- 

 ficient quantity of water is gently poured 

 into it. Upon the fmalleft tremor, the 

 water rifing on the veflel, will fhew both 

 the heighth and diredion of the ftiock by 

 wafhing down the powder. The curious 

 here, whofe fuperftitious fears will allow 

 them, are already putting it in pradice. 

 As, by this attempt, it appears poflible to 

 fubjed this awful phaenomenon to expe- 

 riment, I hope it will induce others to ex- 

 tend their inquiries this way. If, in the 

 different places of the globe w:here earth- 

 quakes are frequent, diftina regifters were 



kept 



