ON SEISMOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS. 83 



the wreater number of which are to be found in the catalogue of Dr. 

 Omori. The 324 which are common to both, and which refer to the same 

 events we should expect to find strictly identical, but this is not the case. 

 For example, the names of provinces and places are frequently different. 

 In certain instances this has apparently resulted from the use of old 

 names rather than modern ones. This difficulty was not overcome until 

 we received from Japan a series of fourteen maps which show the various 

 chances which have taken place with regard to the provinces and the 

 names of places since very early times. Another striking difference 

 between these two catalogues is the_ differences in dates. The dates I 

 prefer to use are those given by Dr. Omori. The reason for doing this is 

 that in Japan we are familiar with the Chinese lunar chronological system, 

 and also that tables have been compiled which give the European equi- 

 valent of Chinese dates. In cases where differences in dates have exceeded 

 a few days both dates have been given. The first date is a translation of 

 ideographs used by Dr. Omori. 



Mallet, in his large catalogue of earthquakes published by the British 

 Association in 1852, 18-53, and 1854, makes but few references to seismic 

 disturbances in China. When we think of the enormous labour he spent 

 upon tlie collection of statistics relating to this work, it is difficult to 

 understand how the registers brought together by Biot had escaped his 



attention. 



In the 'Archives des Sciences Physiques et Naturelles,' April 1899, 

 F. de Montessus de Ballore gives us a general description of the distribu- 

 tion of seismic activity in China. However, he does not give us a catalogue 

 of earthquakes. The map which accompanies his paper is based upon the 

 records of Biot and a catalogue by Mouchketoft' and Orloff of the earth- 

 quakes in the Russian Empire. In the ' Trans. Seis. Soc. Japan,' vol. x. 

 1887, there is a short Paper on earthquakes in China by Dr. Macgowan. 

 Unfortunately Dr. Macgowan's list of earthquakes was nearly all destroyed 

 by fire, and therefore he is only able to speak in general terms. One 

 curious remark about tremors which were experienced in Chekiang, 

 Kiano-su, and in the western regions is that they ai'e followed by the 

 appearance on the ground of substances which in Chinese books are styled 

 ' white hairs several inches in length, like horse-tail hair.' Dr. Macgowan's 

 impression is that the regions where these appear are all, or nearly all, in 

 alluvial valleys. 



Crystallisation of exhalations may be curious, but in making this 

 translation I have met with notes which are equally remarkable. In the 

 fourteenth century the names of two towns, Pingyang and Taiyuan, were 

 changed to Chinning and Chining. This alteration was made by imperial 

 decree with the hope that earthquakes, which had so frequently visited 

 these places, would, as the result of the change, be reduced in their 

 numbers. 



In addition to the translation a map has been drawn, on which earth- 

 quake centres are indicated. From this we see that earthquakes have 

 been most frequent in the north of Peking, the extreme north of Kansu, 

 along the course of Hoang-Ho, where it divides the provinces of Honan, 

 Shensi, and Shansi, around Nanking, on the coast of Fu-Kiang, and in 

 the centres of Yunnan and Ssuchuan. The high frequency along the 

 Hoang-Ho, particularly at its two great bends, which are respectively 

 near to the Peling Mountains and the Ala Shan Mountains, suggests that 

 the sudden changes in the trend of a valley may be connected with 



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