THE CLIMATOLOGY OF THE UNITED STATES. 45 



ner different from the ordinary changes of sunset hues, 

 and scarcely to be accounted for on the mere supposition 

 of light passing through a veil of suspended volcanic dust. 

 On the whole it appears quite as reasonable to suppose 

 that the cause which produced the great earthquake of 

 Java also produced atmospheric phenomena at the same . 

 time, and it does not particularly affect the case whether, 

 as is generally supposed, the causes of earthquakes exist 

 within the earth or whether, as is not improbable, outside 

 influences are largely concerned in their production, or 

 both. In referring to the matters above my object has 

 been to show that unusual phenomena have occurred within 

 the period before mentioned, and numerous other cases 

 might also be cited ; one or two of the principal ones I 

 will hastily consider in order to make the case more dis- 

 tinct. The eruption of Krakatoa in Java in the summer of 

 1883 was the most powerful convulsion on record. Other 

 great catastrophes have occurred within the last century or 

 so, such as the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755 ; the Java 

 earthquake of 1815, and that which devastated the western 

 coast of South America in 1868 ; but the one we are consid- 

 ering destroyed more human beings and its disastrous 

 action continued for a longer time one-hundred thousand 

 persons were killed. A range of mountains disappeared 

 beneath the sea and the topography of the whole country 

 and the neighboring regions was changed, so that mariners 

 knew not where they were ; waves rolled where dry land 

 had formerly been, and land appeared where vessels had 

 sailed, while the sea for a long time after was covered for 

 miles upon miles with a layer of pumice stone and ashes. 

 To this may be added the earthquake of England, which 

 though slight in comparison with the above, was an unu- 

 sually severe one for the country in which it occurred. 

 The disastrous floods and tornadoes in the United States 



