652 CATALOGUE OP DESTRUCTIVE EARTHQUAKES 



That great earthquakes took place in years approximating to 

 certain of these dates there is no doubt, but we must remember 

 that to fix a date in those early times is extremely difficult. 



The Catalogue attempts to give the year, month and 

 occasionally the hour when a large earthquake occurred ; the 

 country or district shaken ; the names of the places most 

 disturbed, the intensity of the movement and the authority 

 from which information has been derived. 



Dates. — The entries in this Catalogue embrace the period 

 A.D. 7, November 10th, to A.D. 1899, December 31st. For recent 

 times it is easy to give a date but for ancient times and in 

 particular countries it is often difficult. 



Not only has confusion arisen owing to diffei'ences in 

 chronologies, but also owing to changes in style and as the early 

 workers were probably without tables enabling them to transpose 

 the dates of one system into that of another, mistakes have 

 been made. It is therefore not surprising that we meet with 

 two or more dates for the same event. In this Catalogue, in the 

 majority of cases, the dates adopted are those found in the 

 catalogues mentioned, but when translating new material as for 

 example that from China and Japan, European dates have been 

 computed. For these latter it is seldom that the hour has been 

 mentioned. Where it is given as that of tlie horse, the eotv, the 

 monkey, or by some other animal name, this has been omitted, 

 its reliability being doubtful. In the few cases where hours 

 are noted they are expressed in Greenwich mean Civil Time, in 

 which 24 hours corresponds to midnight and 12 to midday. 



The dates given for China, Japan and Korea have been 

 computed from tables published by the late William Bramsen, 

 and lately republished in the Transactions of the Asiatic Society 

 of Japan by the Rev. E. W. Clement who adds comparative 

 chronological tables of the Christian Era, Japanese Eras and 

 Emperors, Chinese Eras and Emperors and Korean Kings, with 

 years of the Sexagenary Cycles from 6G0 B.C. to 1910 A.D. 



Although a particular day is usually specified as the one on 

 which an earthquake took place, it must be remembered that 

 these may have been "foreshocks" and "aftershocks" in previous 

 and subsequent dates. 



Names of Countries and Places. — The names of Countries, 

 Provinces, Departments, &c, together with political boundaries 

 have during historical times had many changes. So far as 

 possible the names used are those given by the authorities 

 quoted, and correspond to names found in an English atlas. 

 Provinces, Departments, Counties, States and Districts are 

 given in parentheses. For example (Florence), (Campobasso), 

 (Cosenza) indicate Provinces, while Florence, Campobasso, 

 Cosenza indicate towns. Places which suffered most are printed 

 in italics. In certain instances Districts, Towns or Islands, 

 like Savoy, Nice and Malta, may appear to have the wrong 

 country prefix. Savoy and Nice are now attached to France, 



