426 Proceedings of the British Association^ S^c, 



also perished ; also many villages in the viciniiy were ruined ; indeed, 

 the whole country was desolated and ashes fell more than ninety miles 

 distant from the volcano," 



The first earthquake I experienced was in 1625 and at Chile. There 

 was a shaking of the ground, some houses and walls fell down, and the 

 water in the (arequias or) water-courses splashed over. 1 was also in 

 that of 1829, being in Santiago. The commotion commenced on Sat- 

 urday the 26th of September, at twenty nunu'.es past 2 p. M. The prin- 

 cipal undulations appeared to come from the southeast. The great 

 shock was one and a half minutes' duration. Half an hour afterwards 

 there was a shower of rain, — and anoiher sliglit shower at half-past 4 

 P. M. . The weather, however, before the earthquake was rather inclined 

 for rain. During the night of the 26lh there were slight shocks ; also 

 some on the following days, Sunday and Monday. On Friday the 1st 

 of October, at half-past twelve, there was another shock, — as well as at 

 half-past one. I went out into the street and found the inhabitants look- 

 ing at two volcanoes that had broken out, — one in the Dehsa, behind - 

 the first range of the Cordillera, — the other in the mountains of Malpu ^ 

 (which last was observed to be in activity just after the earthquake of 

 the 26th), the smoke rising majestically. In Peru I have felt many, — » , 

 but not very heavy earthquakes- In the province of Tarapaca, lat. 20^ T 

 south, T have noticed them as occurring two or three times a month,- 

 sometimes accompanied by a slight rumbling noise, which appeared to be 

 subterraneous. But on one occasion, being in the silver mines of Gu- 

 antajaya, a few miles east of the port of Iquique in the province of 

 Tarapaca (these mines are from 2,000 to 3,000 feet above the sea), at 

 about 100 yards perpendicular depth in the mine a slight rumbling 

 noise was heard, as if coming from the Andes, which increased and 

 then passed onwards to the west; the noise was immediately followed 

 by a horizontal undulatory movement, then a vertical, then a mixture 

 of these, or a shake, and then all was quiet, save a commotion occa- 

 sioned by some of the loose stones of the mine rolling downwards. 

 My impression then was, and still conlinues, that earthquakes in the 



region- under discussion (Peru and Chile) originate from volcanic cau- ^ 



ses. A great part of the Andes is volcanic ; Chile abounds in active 

 and quiescent volcanoes; and in the province of Tarapaca there are 

 the Volcano of Isluga, with its five craters, — the Vokancilos or Water 

 Volcanoes of F^uchuttisa, — doubtless many quiescent ones,— on its 

 northern boundary the volcanic group of Gualtieri, — and on iis south- 

 ern the volcanoes of Laguna, Olea, &c. Still, the account received 

 from my friend, Mr. Budge, appears so very circumstantial, that I am 

 induced to give his information regarding the late earthquake in Chile 



in exteiiso. 



