VOL. XLIX.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 605 



hour past Q o'clock in the morning, was perceived a shock of an earthquake. 

 The first notice was a rumbling noise in the air, like that of empty carriages 

 passing hastily over a stone pavement ; immediately the floor moved with a tre- 

 mulous motion, vibrating very quickly; the windows rattled, and the whole 

 house seemed to shake. The shock lasted a full minute ; during which the vi- 

 brations, though continual, abated and increased twice very sensibly, in point of 

 force. The noise in the air, which had preceded the shock, continued to ac- 

 company it ; and lasted some seconds after the motion of the earth had entirely 

 ceased ; dying away like a peal of distant thunder rolling through the air. The 

 direction of the shock seemed to be from east to west. 



About an hour and half after the shock had ceased, the sea, which was quite 

 calm, was observed to retire suddenly some paces, anrl rising with a great swell, 

 without the least noise, as suddenly advancing, overflowed the shore, and en- 

 tered into the city. It rose full 1 5 feet perpendicular above high water mark, 

 though the tide, which ebbs and flows here 7 feet, was then at half ebb. The 

 water immediately receded again, and after having fluctuated 4 or 5 times be- 

 tween high and low water mark, the undulations continually decreasing, it sub- 

 sided, and the sea remained calm. 



In the northern part of this island the inundation has been more violent, the 

 sea there retiring at first above 100 paces, and suddenly returning, overflowed 

 the shore, destroying or damaging several houses and cottages, forcing open 

 doors, and breaking down the walls of several stores or magazines, and carrying 

 away in its recess a considerable quantity of grain, &c. Great quantities of fish 

 were left on the shore, and in the streets of the village of Machico. All this has 

 been the effect of one sole undulation of the sea, it never flowing afterward so 

 high as high water mark ; though it continued fluctuating much longer there, 

 before it subsided, than here at Funchal,, as the fluctuation and swell was much 

 greater here than it had been farther to the westward, where in some places it 

 has been hardly, if at all, perceptible. 



yinother Account of the same Earthquake at Madeira. By Mr. Charles 



Chambers, p. 435. 



This account contains no other particulars than the foregoing. 

 Of the late Earthquakes of Nov. 1, and Dec. Q, 1755, as felt at Neufchalel in 

 Swisserland. By Mans. De Paulravers, F. R. S. p. 436. 



The dreadful earthquake of the 1st of November last has been perceived even 

 in this country, though very faintly. It turned some of our rivers suddenly 

 muddy, without any rain, and swelled our lake of Neufchatel to the height of 

 near 2 feet above its natural level, for the space of a few hours. 



The Qth of this month (Dec.) we felt a much more severe sliock of an earth- 

 quake. It happened a little before 3 o'clock in the afternoon,, with a vibratory 



VOL. X. 4 Q 



