EAR 



EAS 



sipite from their woes. Tn this treacher- 

 ous state of things, a little after midnight 

 the whole promontory of Campala fell at 

 once into the sea, without any previous 

 earthquake. The sea fled back before 

 this mass towards the Golilla del Faro, 

 where it carried off" 28 persons with their 

 boats and houses ; then returning 1 with 

 redoubled fury across its natural channel, 

 flowed on the shore of Sylla 30 palms 

 above its usual level, and three miles 

 along the coast. As it fell back again, it 

 swept away into the abyss 2,475 persons, 

 who were lying on the sands or in boats. 

 Horrible were the shrieks of the survi- 

 vors, who happened to be above the 

 reach of the surge, and tremendous was 

 the alarm given over all the surrounding 

 hills, where the remainder of the inhabi- 

 tants were dispersed for safety. No 

 cries, no lamentations, were heard from 

 those that were thus hurried off; they 

 had no power or time to utter any." 

 "The same instant (says Mr. S.) was 

 fatal to the whole province, and the de- 

 vastation caused by the repeated shocks 

 was much more terrible in many places 

 than at Scylla ; they raged with fury from 

 Cape Spartivento to Amantea, above the 

 gulph of St. Eufemia, and also affected 

 that part of Sicily which lies opposite to 

 the southern extremity of Italy. Those 

 of the 5th and 7th of February, and of 

 the 28th of March, 1783, were the most 

 violent, and completed the destruction 

 of every building throughout the above- 

 mentioned space. Not one stone was 

 left upon another south of the narrow 

 isthmus of Squillace ; and, what is more 

 disastrous, a very large proportion of the 

 inhabitants was killed by the falling of 

 their houses ; near 40,000 lives were lost. 

 Some persons were dug out alive, after 

 remaining a surprising length of time 

 buried in the rubbish. Messina became 

 amass of ruins: its beautiful Palazzatta 

 was thrown in upon the town ; its quay 

 cracked into ditches full of water. Reg- 

 jno almost destroyed. Tropea greatly 

 damaged. Every other place I visited 

 in the province levelled to the ground. 



"Before and during the concussion 

 the clouds gathered, and then hung im- 

 moveable and heavy over the earth. At 

 Palmi the atmosphere wore so fiery an 

 aspect, that many people thought part of 

 the town was burning. It was afterwards 

 remembered, that an unusual heat had 

 affected the skin of several persons just 

 before the shock ; the rivers assumed a 

 inuddy, ash-coloured tinge, and a sulphu- 



reous smell was almost general. A fri- 

 gate passing between Calabria and Lipa- 

 ri felt so severe a shock, that the steers- 

 man was thrown from the helm, and the 

 cannons were raised up on their car- 

 riages, while all around the sea exhaled 

 a strong smell of brimstone. Stupendous 

 alterations were occasioned in the face 

 of the country : rivers choaked up by 

 the falling in of the hills were converted 

 into lakes ; whole acres of ground, with 

 houses and trees upon them, were bro- 

 ken off from the plains and washed many 

 furlongs down the deep hollows which, 

 the course of the rivers had worn ; there, 

 to the astonishment and terror of behold- 

 ers, they found a new foundation to fix 

 upon, either in an upright or an inclining 

 position. In short, every species of phe- 

 nomenon incident to these destructive 

 commotions of the earth was to be seen, 

 in its utmost extent and variety, in this 

 ruinated country." 



EASEL pieces, a denomination given by 

 painters to such pieces as are contained 

 in frames, in contradistinction from those 

 painted on ceilings, &c. 



EASEMENT, a service on conveni- 

 ence, which one neighbour has of another 

 by grant, or prescription, as a way through, 

 his ground, a sink, or the like. 



EASING, in the sea-language, signifies 

 the slackening a rope, or the like : thus 

 to ease the bow-line or sheet, is to let 

 them go slacker; to ease the helm, is to 

 let the ship go more large, more before 

 the wind, or more larboard. 



EAST, one of the four cardinal points 

 of the world ; being that point of the ho- 

 rizon, where the sun is seen to rise when 

 in the equinoctial. 



EASTER, a festival of the Christian 

 church, observed in memory.of our Sa- 

 viour's resurrection. 



In the primitive ages of the church, 

 there were very great disputes about the 

 particular time when this festival was to 

 be kept. The Asiatic churches kept 

 their Easter upon the very same day the 

 Jews observed their passover ; and others 

 on the first Sunday after the first full 

 moon in the new year. This controversy 

 was determined in the council of Nice, 

 when it was ordained that Easter 

 should be kept upon one and the same 

 day, which should always be a Sunday, 

 in all Christian churches throughout the 

 world. 



But though the Christian Churches 

 differed as to the time of celebrating 



