Earthquake Waves on the Coasts of the Pacific. 183 
spit cf land; but when we had sounded, it confirmed our opi- 
nion of the earthquake...... Afterwards we heard the news that 
at that very time there was an earthquake at Callao, and the 
sea ebbed so far from the shore that on a sudden there was no 
water to be seen; and that after it had been away some time it 
returned in rolling mountains of water, which carried the ships 
in the road of Callao a league up into the country, overflowing 
the city of Callao, together with the port, and drowned man and 
beast for 50 leagues along the shore,” &c. Sc. 
Wafer describes the effects of a similar catastrophe at Santa, 
about three degrees to the north of Callao, which he wit- 
nessed. He says, “‘ On landing I went up to the town, which 
was three miles or thereabouts from the sea. In our way 
to the town we cros$ed a small hill, and in a valley between 
the hill and the town we saw three small ships, of about 60 
or 100 tons each, lodged there and very ruinous: it caused in 
us great admiration, and we were puzzled to think how those 
ships could come there; but proceeding towards the town we 
saw an Indian, whom we called, and he at the first motion came 
tous. We asked him several questions, and among the rest 
how those ships came there. He told us that about nine 
years before (1678) those three ships were riding at anchor in 
the bay, which is an open place about five or six leagues from 
point to point; and that an earthquake came and carried the 
water out of sight, which staid away twenty-four hours, and then 
came in again tumbling and rolling with such violence that it 
carried these ships over the town which then stood on the hill 
which we came over, and lodged them there, and that it de- 
stroyed the country for a considerable way along the coast. 
This account when we came to the town was confirmed to us 
by the priest and many other inhabitants of the town. 
Ulloa speaks of great earthquakes at Lima in the years 
1697, 1699, 1716, 1725, 1732, 1734, and 1745, but does not 
give us the details of them. He gives a more particular ac- 
count of that one, the most dreadful of all up to the time he 
wrote, which took place in 1746. But of this I shall rather 
give an extract from the narrative published at the time by 
authority of the Viceroy. 
After stating the direful effects of this earthquake at Lima, 
that account proceeds thus: 
“Yet at least the remains of what Lima was are still ex- 
isting; not so fares it with the garrison and port of Callao, 
where the very objects of the misfortune are quite vanished 
out of sight: this doubles the concern and anguish of the mind, 
which shudders at the contemplation of the dreadful calamity. 
Not the least sign of its former figure does now appear: on 
the contrary, vast heaps of sand and gravel occupying the spoy 
