316 Account of an Earthquake at, Kutch 
and felt for many years tocome. ‘This tremendous conyul- 
sion of nature was experienced from Bombay to beyond 
the tropic of Cancer ; but the.centre of the convulsion 
seems to have been in the province of Kutch, which has se- 
verely suffered. . In describing this alarming occurrence, we 
shall select from a variety of letters which have heen receiv- 
ed on this subject, the most important particulars. 
.» The first and greatest shock took place on the 16th of 
June, 1819, a few minutes before seven in the evening. 
The day had been cool and showery ; Fahrenheit’s. ther- 
mometer ranging from 80° to 85°. The monsoon had. set 
in mildly without much violent thunder and lightning ; and 
. there was nothing unusual in the state of the atmosphere at 
- that season that could afford any ground for apprehension. 
The wind which had been blowing pleasantly towards eve- 
ning, at the commencement. of the concussion fell into a 
deep calm, and ina moment all was consternation and hor- 
_ ror. The wretched inhabitants of Bhooj were seen flying 
in all directions to escape from their falling habitations., A 
heavy appalling noise,—the violent undulatory motion of 
the ground,—the crash of the buildings,—and the dismay 
and terror which appeared in every countenance, produced a 
sensation horrible beyond description. The shock lasted 
from two to three minutes, and during that short period the 
city of Bhooj was almost levelled with the ground. The 
walls, from the sandy nature of the stone, were crumbled 
into. dust ; nearly all the towers. and gateways. were demol- 
ished ;..and the houses which were left standing, were so 
shattered as to be uninhabitable. .The fort, which stands at 
‘some distance from the city, is so breached as to be render- 
-ed useless asa place of defence. It is calculated thatnear- 
ly two. thousand persons have perished in Bhooj alone. 
Among the sufferers is the mother of the depasqe Rajah, 
who was buried in the ruins of the palace. . The surviving 
inhabitants: were obliged to forsake the city, and encamp 
outside of the walls on some sand hills. Theirsituation was 
_ truly, distressing. Bruised, maimed, and in sorrow, they 
resorted daily to the city to extricate the mangled remains of 
wives, children and relations. In this. melancholy labour, 
they were nearly exhausted by the stench arising from the 
putrid bodies of their friends, and from the carcases of the 
. feattle, which had perished in great numbers, At the 
