CALORIFICATION. 379 



bers of people, many of whom rose up in other 

 streets, as well as in the middle of the harbour. 



One of the most destructive and extensive 

 earthquakes that is recorded in history, hap- 

 pened in the year 1755, and as it proved more 

 particularly fatal to the city of Lisbon, which was 

 entirely destroyed by it, with 60,000 of its inha- 

 bitants, it is generally known by the name of the 

 great earthquake of Lisbon. Although its vio- 

 lence was more particularly felt in Portugal, it 

 extended not only over the whole peninsula, but 

 to Africa, and different parts of Europe ; cover- 

 ing a tract of more than four millions of square 

 miles. The earthquake of 1782, which over- 

 whelmed the Neapolitan territory, destroyed 

 no less than 30,000 inhabitants, independently 

 of 6000 who died of disease, the natural conse- 

 quence of misery and alarm. The sad, but 

 interesting, detail of which has also been given 

 by the late Sir William Hamilton. 



A variety of causes have been assigned for 

 these destructive effects by different philoso- 

 phers, and Dr. STUKELY, in particular, has 

 endeavoured to show that they were produced 

 by the electric fire, which tears up and rends in 

 pieces the bowels of the earth. That subter- 

 ranean fire is the proximate and immediate 

 cause of earthquakes, appears to be decidedly 

 proved by all the phenomena with which they 

 are accompanied. The fire not only forces 



