THE EARTHQUAKE IN PERU. Ipl 



went up to heaven. The sea had retired. On clearing 

 the town, I looked back and saw that the vessels were 

 being carried irresistibly seawards. In a few minutes 

 the sea stopped, and then arose a mighty wave fifty feet 

 high, and came in with a fearful rush, carrying every- 

 thing before it in terrible majesty. The whole of the 

 shipping came back, speeding towards inevitable doom. 

 In a few minutes all was completed every vessel was 

 either on shore or bottom upwards.' This, then, was 

 undoubtedly the great sea-wave, as compared with the 

 minor waves of disturbance which characterise all earth- 

 quakes near the shores of the ocean. 



One remarkable feature in this terrible earthquake 

 is the enormous range of country affected by it. From 

 Quito southwards as far as Iquique or, in other words, 

 for a distance considerably exceeding a full third part 

 of the whole length of the South American Andes the 

 shock was felt with the most terrible distinctness. We 

 have yet to learn how much farther to the north and 

 south, and how far inland on the eastern slopes of the 

 Andes, the shock was experienced. But there can be 

 little doubt that the disturbed country was equal to at 

 least a fourth of Europe. 



The portion of the Andes thus disturbed seems to 

 be distinct from the part to which the great Chilian 

 earthquakes belong. The difference in character be- 

 tween the Peruvian and Chilian earthquakes is a 

 singular and interesting phenomenon. The difference 

 corresponds to a feature long since pointed out by Sir 

 Charles Lyell, the alternation, on a grand scale, of 



