Statistics. 143 



fill weather. What further damage may have been done is not 

 known, or whether they have had any more shocks^ as it has 

 blown so tremendously for this last fortnight that no boats have 

 been able to put to sea. Great fears are entertained that they 

 have had another, as we last week felt two very smart shocks 

 here, one at half past seven in the evening and another at one in 

 the morning. This earthquake has been felt in all the Islands 

 and at Malta, and we are afraid Sicily has suffered. This is the 

 second town which lias been destroyed in two years. Zante was 

 tiie largest and best built town of all the Islands, and would have 

 been reckoned a line town on the continent. As to Santa Maura, 

 it is a most wretched place. The earthquakes there lasted two 

 months, and during that time there were felt eight hundred and 

 thirty shocks great and small. Every house in the town and 

 castle is cracked in ail directions, and more than half thrown 

 down, the barracks destroyed, and the bridge broken in many 

 places. One shock in particular was very remarkable, for the 

 earth trembled or shivered continually from half past five in the 

 afternoon till twelve at night. 



" You cannot conceive the extraordinary and fearful feehng 

 that an earthquake produces, nor is it possible to describe it ; it 

 is sufficient to say they are phaenomena that, let them be ever so 

 frequent, I never shall become indifferent to, but shall always 

 make a run to get under a door or a window, which is the only 

 chance of safety in case the roof falls in. We were in the habit 

 of complaining of the water coming through the roof in every 

 part : we are not quite so nice now; and so as the roof itself will 

 liave the goodness to keep its own place, we think ourselves most 

 fortunate." 



Jan. 14. — "The courier is on the point of sailing ; I therefore 

 can oidv say a very few words. The earthquake at Zante has 

 been still more calamitous than v.^as known ; four hundred and 

 sixty-three houses have been totally destroyed, and five hundred 

 more so much injured that it will be necessary to pull them down, 

 — beside whole villages in the country totally destroyed." 



STATISTICS. 



To Mr. Tilloch. 

 Dear Sir, — In consequence of several reports made tome re- 

 specting the extreme longevity of some Russian sulijccts, I wrote 

 to a friend at Petersburg, and received the inclosed ollicial state- 

 ment for the year KSlj. If you consider this document woith 

 preservation, be so good as to print it in your journal. 



Dear Sir, your much obliged servant, 

 tiyha t5<iudie, Juiiuury 18, lb-1. AiNT. C.\KLl3i.li. 



In 



