708 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1755. 



on each side alternately, and rocked like a cradle : almost all the chimnies were 

 thrown down ; all the churches suffered very great damage ; the towers gaped ; 

 a considerable number of walls fell down ; and stones of all sizes poured down 

 from all the buildings, so that no house at Brigue escaped some injury. 



The whole neighbourhood suffered the same calamity, especially Glisa and 

 Natria. In th« latter, the roof of the parish church fell at the same moment ; 

 and at Glisa, the large church, and especially the tower, were greatly damaged. 

 For a great part of the wall of the tower being removed out of its place, fell on 

 the roof of the church, and broke it, and demolished the side altar under it. 

 At Brigue both the church and college of the Jesuits suffered very considerably. 

 Part of the roof of the former fell down ; and all the walls of the college were 

 much cracked. In some places the earth opened and immediately closed again ; 

 and water rose from the ground several feet high. Some fountains also ceased 

 running ; and not a few, never seen before, have flowed from that time. 



From the Qth of December to the 2 1 st, the shocks were repeated every day, 

 but still fewer and less violent. On the 21st, at 4 in the morning, Brigue was 

 «o much shaken, that every body was justly frightened : but no damage was done, 

 except the falling down of some stones. From the 21st to the 27 th, we felt 

 the earth moved twice or thrice every day at different times. On the 27 th, at 

 half after 2 in the afternoon, Brigue suffered a shock almost equal to that on 

 the Qth, but of a shorter duration, and attended with scarcely any damage. On 

 the 28th, about 6, a. m. there were 2 slighter motions. The 29th was the first 

 day free from disturbance. On the 30th, at one in the night, the houses were 

 greatly shaken, so' that some chimnies, which had been before damaged, now fell. 



On the 2d of January, 1 7 56, at half after 9 at night, there was a slight 

 shock. On the 3d, a little before 10 in the morning, there was another gentle 

 one ; but none till the 6th, before 8 at night, when a pretty considerable shock 

 happened. On the 7th, about 5 in the evening, were two more, as also on the 

 8th at half after 8 at night. For the 3 following days all things were quiet. 

 On the 1 1th, at 3 in the morning, and again about 8, and on the 12th and 13th 

 were some few shocks, but slight. On the 14th, at half an hour after 2 in the 

 morning, every thing was put into such an agitation, as is inexpressible ; but the 

 damage was but small, as the motion lasted but 3 or 4 seconds. On the 15th, 

 at half an hour after 5 in the morning, there was a slight shock. It is obser- 

 vable, that on this day, and generally for 3 or 4 hours before the earthquake, we 

 observed a gentle trembling to precede, and the winds which were before violent, 

 to subside of a sudden : and that the motion seemed always to be propagated 

 from the south to the north. It is fact, that all the books in our library, 

 though of a square form, were all thrown down from the south towards the 

 north. I observed the same in the chasms of the ground, which were nearly pa- 

 rallel with the meridian. I often remarked likewise, that the Rhone grew turbid 



