I20 TRANSACTIONS iSqQ-'OO 



feeling of alarm. In countries where violent quakes occur, many 

 know from personal experience that calamity may result and 

 others know from history that the whole face of the country 

 may be changed by land slides and sea waves. It is therefore 

 not surprising that some of the ancient Greek and Roman 

 philosophers, who were close observers of Nature, should have 

 come to some conclusions upon earthquakes. Some of these old 

 philosophers recognised that earthquakes played an important 

 part in the formation and configuration of coast lines. In Sir 

 Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology I find that the author has 

 summarised the views held bj^ some of these men. Thucydides 

 describes the effect of earthquakes upon the coast lines of the 

 Grecian Archipelago — Piny supposed it was bj' earthquake 

 avulsion that islands were naturally formed, and Aristotle states 

 that earthquakes have torn to pieces many parts of the earth, 

 while lands have been converted into sea, and that tracts once 

 covered by sea have been converted into dry land. The writings 

 of Pliny, Aristotle and others testify that they had observed 

 steam and other exhalations escaping from volcanic vents, and 

 held that earthquakes were due to the workings of imprisoned 

 wind and vapour beneath the earth's crust. But while a few of 

 the old philosophers were ready to attribute earthquake phen- 

 omena to natural causes, most of mankind then and down through 

 the middle ages could only find an explanation by appealing to 

 the Supernatural, and earthshakings were attributed to the move- 

 ment of a subterranean god or mythical monster. With the 

 ancient Greeks there was a deity for every natural force, and 

 Vulcan, the deformed son of Juno, was condemned to pass his 

 days under Mount Ktna fabricating the thunder bolts of Jove and 

 arms for the gods and heroes of antiquity. Professor Milne tells 

 us that in Japan it is supposed that there existed beneath the 

 ground a large earth spider, which later in history became a cat- 

 fish ; at Kashima some sixty miles northeast of Tokyo there • is a 

 rock which is said to rest upon the head of this creature and keep 

 it quiet. At this place therefore earthquakes would not be 

 frequent. The rest of the empire is shaken by the wriggling of 

 its tail and body. In Mongolia the earth shaker is a subterranean 

 hog; in India it is a mole; the Musselmen picture it as an elephant, 

 In the Celebes there is a world-supporting hog, while in North- 

 America* the subterranean creature is a tortoise. The people of 



