Earthquake and rising of the sea coast of Chili. Ill 





name about five miles deep, and is built at the feet or the sides and 

 summit of hills or on the plain Almeadrall, formed by the sand wash- 

 ed up by the waves from the ocean and borne down by the torrents, 

 that in the- rainy season, descend from the hills. 

 - The bases of the hills are either solid rocks, or rocks, sand and 

 clay. On the 19th of Nov. 1822, the sun rose with great splen- 

 dor — a haze followed — then at noon intense and oppressive heat 

 sea breezes in the afternoon, and a brilliant star-light night succeed- 

 ed, with a delightful calm. But at half past 10 o'clock, P. M., ap- 

 palling shocks of an earthquake began ; every thing on the surface 

 was in motion ; the hills near at hand, oscillated ; the ground rose 

 and fell ; houses reeled, like ships on the ocean ; trees waved as if 

 bent by a blast of wind ; waters before still, began a rustling move- 

 ment ; the earth opened ; the distant mountains rocked ; the sea re- 

 tired, and the tremendous convulsion seemed to threaten universal 

 dissolution. The animals, wild with terror, ran away, or sought 

 the protection of man ; who, himself, fled, in consternation, he knew 

 not whither. In a moment more, the crash of falling roofs and walls 



the cries of those imprisoned in their fallen houses and the shrieks 

 of those buried beneath the ruins, invoking their saints, or imploring 

 mercy of God, filled the air. The moon was just setting when the 

 convulsion began, and now dropped beneath the horizon, leaving 

 more sensible the horrible darkness of that night, increased by the 

 dust of the prostrated buildings, which now obscured the stars or 

 caused them to shed a ruinous light, and producing also a difficult 

 respiration ; the motion created nausea and vomiting, as in sea sick- 

 ness. Neither men or animals could move without staggering, and 

 horses were thrown on their knees. This greatest shock seemed to 

 most persons to come from the north and west, and continued about 

 two and one half minutes. Subsequent shocks were heavy and ap- 

 peared to recede toward the south and east, but none of them were 

 very destructive. 



During the remainder of the night and the following day, they were 

 repeated at intervals of twenty five to thirty minutes, and continued 

 to the date of the letter, (twenty seven days,) but with diminished 

 force and frequency. On board ships, it was observed by sounding, 

 that the water shoaled two and a half fathoms ; vessels of war at their 

 moorings, swung five or six times in shore and out again j as there 

 was no wind and as it was low water with a smooth sea, the move* 

 ment must have been that of the earth under the ocean. When the 

 lead was thrown, it seemed to catch, as if pinched in a fissure, first 



