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XXI. Papers relating to the Earthquake which occurred in India 

 in 1819.* 



To William Erskine, Esq. Sfc. Bombay. 



My dear Sir, 

 A S it was at your suggestion that I attempted to draw up 

 the following account of the earthquake which occurred 

 in India in June 1819, I beg that, should you consider it as at 

 all interesting, you will do me the favour to present it to the 

 Society. It consists of a plain description, and no circum- 

 stance has been admitted that has not been well certified ; at 

 the same time it must be observed, that the whole is written 

 from memory, or very scanty memoranda. 



I remain, my dear sir, yours very faithfully, 

 Camp at Bhooj, Jan. 27, 1820. (Signed) J. Macmurdo. 



P.S. At noon this day we had a very strong shock, attended 

 by a loud noise like distant thunder. Several shocks have like- 

 wise occurred since the accompanying details were written. 



On the 16th of June 1819, between fifteen and ten minutes 

 before seven o'clock P.M., a shock of an earthquake was felt 

 in Cutch ; and as it appears to have been remarkable in India 

 for the great extent of its range, and also for the very con- 

 fined limits of its severe effects, I shall attempt to describe 

 the course and results of the phaenomena as they appeared in 

 this province, without offering any scientific speculations, for 

 which I am totally unqualified, or even stating opinions on 

 the subject which 1 have heard advanced by others. 



The shock was foretold by no uncommon appearance in the 

 heavens ; at least nothing was remarked previously, either in 

 the heavenly bodies or in the atmosphere, to indicate the ap- 

 proach of any convulsion of nature. The hot months had 

 passed on with the clear and serene sky, the burning sun, and 

 the westerly wind, which commonly prevails at that season 

 of the year. It was observed that the month of May was ex- 

 tremel}' hot, perhaps more so than usual, but the thermometer 

 seldom higher than 108° or 110° of Fahrenheit in the shade 

 of a tent, and generally not above 105°. On the evening of 

 the 3d June we experienced a severe storm of rain and wind, 

 with thunder and lightning from the north-east quarter, an 

 occurrence by no means uncommon at the same season ; the 

 storm lasted about two hours, with rain through the night, 



* From the Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay, vol. iii., for 

 1822. 



Vol.63. No. 310. Feb. 1824. O was 



