304 N BOUGUER's voyage to PERU. 



old world, where volcanoes have been, we fhall find them to have been fituated on 

 iflands, or upon the fhores of the fea. The Alps, for example, are not fubjed to 

 earthquakes ; it is the portion of Italy advancing upon the Mediterranean. So it is in 

 America. There may be fom.etimes a collection of inflammable matter concealed in the 

 bowels of the earth, waiting only for water to take fire. Now, on any unufual rife of 

 the fea, occafioned either by the flux or reflux of its tide, or from being fimply im- 

 pelled oy the winds, it may make its way over the banks within which it is confined, into 

 divers fubterraneous canals, and find an entrance into many places, which under any 

 other circumllance it could not otherwife do. 



It follows, evidently, from hence, that all the circumfl:ances of the moon's motion, 

 fo fenfibly affedling the flux and reflux of the fea, may alfo extend themfelves to earth- 

 quakes and volcanic irruptions. Thus an aftrologer, continually talking of the head 

 and tail of the dragon, of the moon, of the difliance of this planet from the fun, and 

 its fituation, with regard to his apogseon or perigseon^ and talking of them as he ever 

 does, in a vague and undetermined manner, may by hazard advance many things in 

 this particular divination not altogether void of fenfe. I have ever confidered the fub- 

 jecl worthy of difcuflJion ; and I will now, in a few words, offer here the refult of my 

 obfervations, which falls naturally within the plan of this relation. 



The great number of individual caufes which contribute to thefe dreadful accidents, 

 is, perhaps, the ^eafon why the concurrence of many of them often fupply what is 

 wanted on the fide of others ; but the precife inflant, and even the time of the 

 effeft mud be, neceflTarily, more uncertain. Perhaps the heat of the fun may alfo 

 have fome influence : we know, at leafl:, that it is aflift:ing to the inflaming ingredients 

 or matters chemifl;s fometimes mix together, to give us a reprefentation of a volcano 

 when emitting fire. The town of Lima has been three times defliroyed : the firfl: time, 

 in 1586 ; the two laft:, in 1687 and 1746. The firfl: difafl:er happened in July the 9th ; 

 but the two others in 06lober the 19th and 28th; after the equinoftial tides had 

 thrown a great quantity of water into the fubterraneous cavities, and when the fun, 

 advancing in the auft:ral hemifphere, began to difpenfe his greatefl: heat. There have 

 been three other very confiderable earthquakes; the one of the 17th June 1678, we 

 cannot urge as an example to our purpofe ; but the other two happened in November the 

 27th and 13th, one in 1630, and the lafl: in 1655. 



Thus, it appears, that of the fix violent earthquakes with which Lima has been 

 afldided, infl:ead of having happened at feafons in the year remote from each other, 

 four have taken place in the months of Odober and November. This fingularity may, 

 perhaps, be regarded as chance : but, is it not poflible, that the return of the heat, and 

 high tides, may have contributed thereto ? The gales that blow upon the coafl: of Peru 

 in the environs of Lima, may have a tendency to keep thefe back in the September 

 equinox, longer than in other places, confidering alfo, that numbers of thefe places are 

 fituated far fouthward, although in the torrid zone. The communication there is be- 

 tween the different fubterraneous cavities may alfo give a wider fcope to the effect of 

 the flux and reflux of the tide. The mofl: violent of the difi'erent earthquakes' I have 

 felt, threw down fome houfes in the vicinage of Latacunga, and killed many people. 

 There was feen at the fame time, although not at the fame hour, a flame iflliing 

 from a lake, on a neighbouring mountain. This was at the beginning of Decem- 

 ber of the year 1736. From other fimilar obfervations I have made, and all 

 things elfe confidered, it appears to me, confining rayfelf to a fimple fa6t, that if in all 

 feafons in Peru they are liable to thefe difafl:rous phenomena, they are neverthelefs 

 rather more liable to them in the latter months of the year. 

 ... The 



