C. Davison — British Earthquakes of 1890. 453 



seismic focus must have been very slight. This is shown by — 

 (1) the smallness of the disturbed area considering the intensity of 

 the shock; and (2) the horizontal direction of the motion at Walton, 

 a village only about half a mile from the epicentrum. Bearing iu 

 mind also the nature of the disturbances, it seems to me therefore 

 very probable that the Yorkshire earthquakes were due to the falling 

 of masses of rock in caverns of the magnesian limestone. 



Authorities. — A short account of the shock is given in the " Leeds 

 Mercury " for June 27. But for most of the observations on which 

 the above description is founded, I am indebted to the kindness of 

 the following correspondents : Askham Eichard, Mr. T. B. N. Miles ; 

 Bilbrough, Miss Metcalfe ; Bolton Percy, the Eight Eev. the Lord 

 Bishop of Beverley ; Collinghara, Eev. G. L. Beckwith ; Cowthorpe, 

 Eev. S. H. Gaisford ; Hunsingore, Eev. J. J. D. Dent ; Spofiforth, 

 Mr. E. T. Vyner; Tockwith, Mr. F. M. Clarkson ; Walton, Mr. E. 

 B. Waite, F.L.S. The details with reference to the subsidence of 

 the Sunderland and Eyhope Eoad are taken from a letter by Mr. 

 Backhouse in the " Sunderland Daily Echo " for Dec. 6, 1887. 



KiNTYKE Earthquake : July 24. 



Time of occurrence, llh. 37m. ; Intensity, V. 



I did not hear of this earthquake until some months after its 

 occurrence. Partly on this account and partly from the difficulty of 

 obtaining information in a district so thinly peopled, I can give but 

 little beyond a slight description. I regret this the more, as it 

 would have been interesting to have traced its relations with the 

 earthquake felt in the same district on July 15, 1889. 



Most of the places from which I have received records are in- 

 dicated on the map of the earthquake of 1889.^ These places are 

 Clachan, Glen Saddell, Gigha, Kilberry, Tayinloan and Whitehouse. 

 At Clachan and Tarbert the shock was accompanied by a rumbling 

 noise. Throughout the island of Gigha, to the west of Kintyre, 

 a rumbling noise was heard, but the shock itself was not perceived. 

 Neither shock nor sound was noticed at Bellochantuy, nor at 

 Lochranza in the island of Arran. 



With evidence so slight, it is not possible to determine the outline 

 of the disturbed area. It cannot have differed much from that of 

 the year before ; towards the north and south its limits may have 

 been about the same ; but it did not extend so far towards the east. 

 Its epicentrum, though probably not very distant from the village of 

 Clachan, must therefore lie somewhat to the west of that of the 

 earthquake of 1889. 



With regard to the nature of the shock, I know very little. At 

 Clachan, it began with a series of tremors " so sharp, short and 

 quick as not to be easily counted." These increased in intensity 

 until, at the end of twenty seconds, "a vibration was felt like what 

 would be caused by a heavy stone falling from a very great height." 



1 See page 366 of this volume. Tayinloan is about one mile N. of Killean ; 

 Whitehouse, 7 miles E. 15° S. of Kilberry; Bellochantuy, 7f miles S. 10° W. of 

 Killean. 



