468 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO I76O. 



these effects seem to be greatly short of those produced by an earthquake that 

 happened at Latacunga, in the year 1698, when the whole town, consisting of 

 more than 600 houses, was entirely destroyed in less than 3 minutes time, a part 

 of one only escaping ; notwithstanding that the houses there are never built 

 more than one story high in order, if possible, to avoid these dangers. Am- 

 bato, a village about the same size as Latacunga, together with a great part of 

 Riobamba, another town in the same neighbourhood, were also entirely destroyed, 

 or received considerable damage from it. At the same time a volcano burst 

 out suddenly in the neighbouring mountain of Carguayraso: and " near A m- 

 bato the earth opened in several places, and there yet remains to the south of 

 that town a cleft of 4 or 5 feet broad, and about a league in length, lying north 

 and south ; there are also several other like clefts on the other side of the river." 

 The city of Quito was affected at the same time, but received no damage, 

 though it is no more than 42 geographical miles from Latacunga, not far from 

 which the greatest violence of the shock seems to have exerted itself. These 

 towns are supposed to stand by far the highest of any in the world, being as 

 high above the level of the sea " as the tops of some of the highest mountains in 

 Europe ; and the ground on which Riobamba stands, wants but QO yards of 

 being 3 times as high as Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. 



The country on which these towns stand serves as a base, from which arise 

 another set of high lands and mountains, which are much the highest in the 

 known world. Among these mountains there are no less than 6 volcanos, if not 

 more, within an extent -of 120 miles long, and less than 30 broad, the lowest of 

 which exceeds the height of Riobamba by above ■§- of a mile, and the highest by 

 more than twice that quantity. Now, as the earthquakes have been morj; vio- 

 lent at the foot of these mountains than in the lower lands, so they have been 

 still more violent towards the tops of them : this is sufficiently manifest from the 

 many rents made in them, and the rocks that have been broken off from them 

 on such occasions : but it appears still more manifestly, and beyond all dispute, 

 in the bursting forth of volcanos, which are almost always at the very summit of 

 the mountains, where they are found. In these instances, the earth, stones, 

 &c. which lay over the fire, are generally scattered by the violence of the vapour, 

 that breaks its way through, to the distance of some miles round about. 



The great earthquake of the 1st of November 1755, was also more violent 

 among the mountains than at the city of Lisbon. We are told that " the 

 mountains of Arrabida, Estrella, Julio, Marvan, and Cintra, being some of the 

 largest in Portugal, were impetuously shaken, as it were,, from their very foun- 

 dations ; and most of them opened at their summits, split and rent in a wonder- 

 ful manner, and huge masses of them were thrown down into the subjacent 

 vallies." 



