306 Lakes 



shallow bay. "At the extremity of this bay the water was 

 observed to retire about five yards within its ordinary boundary, 

 and in four or five minutes to flow out again. In this manner 

 it ebbed and flowed successively three or four times during the 

 space of a quarter of an hour, when all at once the water rushed 

 from the east and west in opposite currents, . . . rose in the 

 form of a great wave, to the height of five feet above the 

 ordinary level, leaving the bottom of the bay dry to the 

 distance of between 90 and 100 yards from its natural boundary. 

 When the opposite currents met they made a clashing noise 

 and foamed ; and, the stronger impulse being from the east, the 

 wave after rising to its greatest height, rolled westward, but 

 slowly diminishing as it went, for the space of five minutes, 

 when it wholly disappeared. As the wave subsided it flowed 

 back with some force, and exceeded its original boundary four 

 or five yards ; then it ebbed again about 10 yards, and again 

 returned, and continued to ebb and flow in this manner for 

 the space of two hours, the ebbings succeeding each other, at 

 the distance about seven minutes, and gradually lessening, till 

 the water settled into its ordinary level. During the whole 

 time that this phenomenon was observed, the weather was calm. 

 On the next and four succeeding days an ebbing and flowing 

 was observed nearly about the same time and for the same 

 length of time, but not at all in the same degree as on the first 

 day." 



The above is the account given by the Rev. Thomas 

 Fleming, at the time minister of Kenmore, who was an eye- 

 witness. It resembles in all essential particulars the descrip- 

 tions of waves which accompany actual earthquakes, yet in 

 his account he goes on to say: "I have not heard (although I 

 have made particular inquiry) that any motion of the earth 

 was felt in this neighbourhood, or that the agitation of the 

 wave was observed anywhere but about the village of Kenmore." 

 It is well known that there were great seismic movements 

 observed in Perthshire at the time of the Lisbon earthquake, 

 and there is a tradition in the neighbourhood that Loch Lubnaig 

 near Callander was largely increased in extent by the disloca- 

 tions which took place. 



