94 



ral clocks were stopped at precisely 5 hours 25 min- 

 utes. 



All the cracks in walls and ceilings had a direc- 

 tion nearly northwest and southeast, and most of 

 them had the appearance of having been produced at 

 the moment of elevation. 



The earthquake was felt heavily at Monterey, at 

 5 hours 20 minutes ; it was also felt at Bodega, but 

 no time is given, 



The vessels on the coast, and ranging from San 

 Pedro on the south to Southern Oregon, and at dis- 

 tances varying from eight to one hundred miles in in 

 land, did not experience any shock. They were 22 

 in number. 



Up to the present date the most northern point of 

 which we have any record ot it* having been felt, is 

 at Santa Rosa, which is 53 miles north of San Fran- 

 eisco, and at Monterey, DO miles south of the latter 

 place ; to the east of this city we have no record be- 

 yond Stockton. This would give for its length 143 

 miles, and its breadth (>(> miles. 



Inquiry was made through the State line Tele- 

 graph at El Dorado. Nevada, Downieville, Placer- 

 ville, Marysville-, Sacramento Stockton, and San 

 Jose ; it w is not felt in any of the localities named, 

 excepting the two last, and at Stockton it was quite 

 light. 



If the time as given at Monterey was the same as 

 at this city, (San Francisco) the velocity of the earth- 

 wave must have bi en much slower than that of the 

 great earthquake at Si mod a. 



Match 24 — A slight shock was felt at Canal 

 Gulch, Siskiyou county, also at Yreka at twenty 

 minutes before 10 o'clock. P. M. The motion is de- 

 scribed as being horizontal. 



March 31. — A light shock was felt in San Fran- 

 cisco at twen'-y-fivo minutes past 1 o'clock, A, M. 

 It consisted of three light hut distinct tremors. 



April (i— 11| P- M. A smart, shook was felt at 

 Los Angeles and the Monte. People were aroused 

 from their beds. 



May 10. — A light shock was felt, in San Francisco 

 at 10 m'nutes after 9 o'clock. P. M. The shock was 

 accompanied by a loud report, like the discharge of 

 a cannon ; people mistook it tor the signal gun of 

 the mail steamer. This was felt at Monterey, Con- 

 tra Costa county. 



May 2 — A sevpre shock was felt at Los Angeles 

 a lew minutes past 12 o'clock, P. M. It caused much 

 trembling among the buildings, and considerable 

 alarm among the people, many leaving their beds 

 The shock was preceded by two loud reports like 

 the blasting of rock ; it apparently came from the 

 northwest ; no damage was done. 



August 2 — A light shock was felt in San Fran- 

 cisco at 20 minutes after 5 o'clock, A. M It was 

 snffic'ently strong to awaken persons in bed ; it was 

 evidently more severe in Stockton. 



August 27. — An earthquake was felt at Mis-ion 

 San Juan, Monterey county, at 15 minutes before 9 

 o'clock, P. M. There were two distinct shocks with 

 short intervals elapsing the second being the heavi- 

 est. Tbe motion is described as undulatory and 

 coming from the west. It was felt at Monterey and 

 at Santa Cruz. 



Sept. 0. — A smart shock felt at Santa Cruz, at 3 

 o'clock, A. M. It created considerable consternation 

 and many persons left their beds. 



Sept 20 — V very s-vere shock was felt in differ- ] 

 etit, parts of San Diego county, and at that town at, j 

 llj o'clock, I'. M. At Santa Isabel the ceilings of] 

 the dwelliugs was shaken down ; the cuttle stampe- 



ded and ran bellowing in all directions, and tbe In- 

 d ans seemed equally terrified. The walls of the 

 adobe buildings were many of them cracked. The 

 motion is described as oscillatory. A light shock 

 occurred on the following Mouday evening. 



Nov. 12. — A smart shock occurred at Humboldt 

 Bay at 4 o'clock. A. M. Another shock was repor- 

 ted tut no date given. 



From the records before us it will be seen that 

 fourteen being the total number of earthquakes re- 

 corded during 1856, seven have been felt in San 

 Fi ancisco in common with other parts of the State ; 

 seven have occurred south of this locality that were 

 not observed here, and four north of it. Of the seven 

 shocks noticed here, live only were not observed in 

 any adjacent district, and may be considered as 

 strictly local. The periods of tbe year at which the 

 shocks have occurred, is as follows: During the win- 

 ter mouths, five ; during the autumn, three ; during 

 the spring, mil summer, six Nine have taken place 

 between the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. 



We have records of considerable and violent vol- 

 canic phenomena throughout the northern seas, and 

 islards both to the east and west of Alaska. The 

 Russian frigate Dwina. while lying at Shuam Shu, 

 brings intelligence of the outburst of a volcano in 

 that vicinity about the 22nd of June, and on the 

 25th of the same month passed through fields of float- 

 ins pumice; the latitude by observation being 50° 

 53' and longitude 158° 32' east per chronometer. 



An interesting account of a suhmarine volcano 

 was reported by the Ca| tain of the bark Alice Fra- 

 zer, in latitude 54° 36'— longitude 135° west, which 

 is as follows : A portion of the whaling fleet, four in 

 number, were running through the Straits of Ouri- 

 nack, on the 20th of July last ; while passin; the 

 straits a submarine volcano burst out, sending a 

 column of water several hundred feet upward; im- 

 msdiately following this, immense masses of lava 

 were projected into the air, and the sea for miles and 

 for days afterward, was covered with floating frag- 

 ments of pumice. The ships Scotltmd and Enter- 

 prise were nearer the volcano than the ships Frazer 

 and Wm. Thornton ; on the decks of the two former 

 considerable pumice, lava, and ashes fell. There 

 were seven vessels in the straits at the time of the 

 occurrence, three of which the names I could not 

 learn. 



The outburst was accompanied with violent shocks 

 of earthquake. It is tbe opinion of Captain Newell, 

 of the Alice Frazer, that considerable shoaling has 

 been the result of this submarine action. 



Annual meeting by adjournment. 



The Reports of the Treasurer, Curators, and Cor- 

 responding Secretary were received and placed on 

 file. 



The following officers were elected for the ensuing 

 year : 



President — Leander Ransom. 



\st Vice-President — Theodore Moss. 



2d Vice-President— J A. Eckel, M. D 



Recording Secretary— M G. R ad 



Corresponding Secretary — W. O. Ayres. M. D. 



Treasurer — F. Bosqui. 



Curator of Zoology — L. Lanszweort. M D. 



Curator of Geology and Mint ralogy — Dr. J. B. 

 Trask. 



Librarian— W II< llley. 



(Chi. Acad. Nat. Sci.) 



