VOL. LI.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 437 



LIT. Of the late Earthquakes in Syria. In a Letter from Dr. P. Russel, to 

 his Brother, A. Russell, M. D., F. R. S. Dated Aleppo, Dec. 2, 17 59. p. 529. 



June 10, in the morning, a slight shock of an earthquake was felt here. Oc- 

 tober 30, about 4 in the morning, was a pretty severe shock, indeed the most 

 violent he had ever felt, which lasted somewhat tnore than a minute, but did no 

 damage in Aleppo. In about 10 minutes after this first, there was a 2d shock; 

 but the tremulous motion was less violent, and did not last above 1 5 seconds. 

 This earthquake occasioned little alarm among the natives, and even with the 

 Europeans was the topic only for a day. But the subject was soon revived, by 

 letters from Damascus, where the same shock felt as at Aleppo, and several other 

 successive ones had done considerable damage. From this time we had daily 

 accounts of earthquakes from Damascus, Tripoly, Seidon, Acri, and all along 

 the coast of Syria. 



Nov. 25 was a more severe shock. About half an hour after 7 at night the 

 earthquake came on : the motion at first was gently tremulous, increasing by 

 degrees till tlie vibrations became more distinct, and so strong as to shake the 

 walls of the houses with considerable violence ; they again became more gentle, 

 and thus changed alternately several times during the shock, which lasted in all 

 about 2 minutes. In about 8 minutes after this was over, a slight shock of a few 

 seconds duration succeeded. At a quarter after 4 next morning was another 

 shock, which lasted somewhat less than a minute, and was hardly so strong as 

 that of the preceding night. The night of the 26th was rainy and cloudy. At 

 9 o'clock was a slight shock of a few seconds. The motion here appeared to be 

 very deep, and was rather undulatory than tremulous. From midnight of the 

 25th, besides these now mentioned, 4 or 5 slighter shocks were felt; but Mr. 

 R. was sensible of none till the morning of the 28th, when they had a short 

 pulsatory shock. The same day, at 2 o'clock, they had a pretty smart shock, 

 lasting about 40 seconds. From this time he was sensible of no more, though 

 others either felt or imagined several slight vibrations every day. 



At Antioch many houses have been thrown down, and some few people killed. 



The earthquake of the evening of the 25th proved fatal to Damascus; one- 

 third of the city was thrown down, and of the people great numbers perished in 

 the ruins. The greater part of the surviving inhabitants fled to the fields, where 

 they continued, being hourly alarmed by slighter shocks, which deterred them 

 from re-entering the city, or attempting the relief of such as might yet be saved, 

 by clearing away the rubbish. Other accounts make the loss of the inhabitants 

 amount to 20,000. 



Tripoli suffered rather more than Aleppo; 3 minorets, and 2 or 3 houses. 



