Volcanic Eruptions and Earthquakes. 337 
red on the 20th of February at about half past 11, A. M., and the 
shocks continued to occur three or four a day, up to March 6th, and 
even as late as March 17, a shock was felt at Valparaiso, which was 
sensible to the shipping and on land. 
The first shock was felt from Valparaiso, Lon. 71° 38’ 15” W., 
Lat. 33° 0’ 30” S. to some distance south of Conception, Lon. 73° 
5’ W., Lat. 36° 49’ 10” S.,—and from the Cordilleras, to the Island 
of Juan Fernandez, more than three hundred miles from the coast, 
where it was felt with most tremendous violence ; the sea at the an- 
choring ground retiring to such a distance, that where there had been 
twelve fathoms of water, the ground was laid bare, and soon after 
returning with such fury that it completely destroyed the town and 
covered it with a deposit of mud several feet thick—the governor 
and garrison saving themselves by fleeing to the heights. 
It is a matter of history, that between the years 1520 and 1752, 
five great earthquakes occurred in Chili. That on the 15th of March, 
1657, destroyed a great part of the city of Conception which was 
founded by Valdivia in 1550, and was then the capital of Chili— 
now only of a jurisdiction—that on the 18th of June, 1730, drove 
the sea against the City of Conception, and overthrew its walls ; 
and that of May 26th, 1751, completely destroyed that city, which 
was again inundated by the sea, and levelled with the ground all 
the fortresses and villages lying between Jat. 34° and 409 S. The 
shocks continued at intervals more than a month. Not an individ- 
ual human life, however, was lost on this occasion except some in- 
valids, who were drowned in Conception. In 1751, Conception 
was rebuilt on the north side of the river Biobio, about a league from 
the sea—only to be again in 1835 destroyed and its population of 
25,000 compelled to flee to the mountains and groves, and look 
back upon the place of their late habitation of which only a single 
house remains standing—and not another within leagues around. 
Talcahuana, the port of Conception, lat. 36° 42’ 21’ S., lon. 73° 
39 12” W. was shaken down by the first shock, which lasted about 
44 minutes—after about 15 minutes the sea retired from the coast, 
about a mile, leaving the vessels aground, and then rolled in with a 
wave from twenty five to thirty feet high, deluging and entirely devas- 
tating the whole town—two successive inundations followed and im 
their reflux swept away and buried all the fragments and ruins, in 
fact every vestige of the place. 
Vou. XXVIII.—No. 2. 43 
