26fr Capt. Lachlan's Account, fyc. 



x 



It will be extremely interesting hereafter to know what 

 other vessels have felt the same shock, and whether it has 

 been experienced any where on land. Independent of earth- 

 quakes not being common in Ceylon, I am inclined to think, 

 from the direction which the motion seemed to take, combined 

 with the frequent occurrence of such convulsions among the 

 eastern islands, that we shall hereafter hear of something re- 

 markable having happened in Sumatra, or somewhere in that 

 direction. 



To the above, I may add the following general note re- 

 specting the day : 



Sunday, 9th. — Light changeable airs, but chiefly from 

 the southward during the day, and nearly calm at night, 

 with the ship rolling a good deal. Course various, owing to 

 the head wind obliging us to tack. — Meridian latitude 1° 25' 

 north, longitude 85° 35' east. 



And it may perhaps be as well to state also, that the after 

 part of the 8th was so cloudy and threatening, as to induce us 

 to take in studding-sails and reef top-sails, and that it was 

 probably about this time that the barometer fell from 30.5 to 

 30.1. Before this the wind had been generally from the 

 north-eastward ; but it then shifted round to the southward, 

 and continued fluctuating for three or four days between S.W. 

 and S.E., with sultry weather, and thermometer from 83° to 

 85° at noon ; but the barometer regained a steady average alti- 

 tude of 30.5 on the 11th. 



The above are all the particulars which I am now enabled 

 to give you respecting the earthquake felt on board the Win- 

 chelsea ; but, as you appear desirous of accumulating further 

 notices respecting similar phenomena, perhaps the annexed 

 accounts of two other earthquakes at sea, strongly corrobora- 

 tive of our feelings, and showing that the puzzling nature of 

 the sensations thereby produced have not been confined to us 

 alone, will not be uninteresting or unacceptable to you. To 

 me they proved highly interesting, from happening to be met 

 with while at sea, a very short time after our alarming visita- 

 tion. 



I may add, in conclusion, that though I watched the pub- 

 lic prints pretty closely, for some time after our return to 



