GENERAL DESCRIPTION OE EFFECTS 01 EARTHQUAKE. 5 



the jail, sepoy-lines, and villages on the peninsula are all in a complete 

 scene of destruction. " 



I have quoted this verbatim, because it seems to me an excellent 

 instance of how easily grossly exaggerated and therefore incorrect state- 

 ments can find a place in the history of such phenomena ; here is an official 

 report by the Government officer in charge of the Public Works and build- 

 ings at Cachar made three days after the event and yet most largely at 

 variance with the real state of the facts. But I suppose all allowance must 

 be made for the alarm arising from his being on the verge of destruction. 



Mr. Mc William, the Assistant Commissioner of Cachar, on the morn- 

 ing after the shock, reported to the Commissioner of the division thus : — 

 " In the absence of the Deputy Commissioner, I regret to report that 

 Silchar was visited yesterday afternoon at 4 o'clock by a very severe 

 shock of earthquake, which lasted for at least a minute; considerable 

 damage has been done to property ; but, as yet, I have heard of only two 

 cases of death. Some idea of the force of the shock may be gained from 

 the fact that the new pucka Church tower has fallen, and the walls of 

 the jail compound are level with the ground. The bank of the Barak 

 adjoining the bazaar has given way, and sunk about 15 feet over an area 

 of from three to four hundred yards long by two hundred broad, doing 

 more or less damage to all buildings upon it. The bazaar itself and the 

 jail compound are cut up in all directions by gaps, in some places eight 

 inches or a foot wide, from many of which dark sand and warm water 

 were forced up during the night/'' 



The Friend of India, on the 20th January, published a letter from 

 a correspondent which gives a fair account of the facts : — Previous to the 

 10th of January, there had been nothing remarkable in the weather, which, 

 so far from being sultry, had been rather colder than usual. The air was 

 rather hazy and wanting in clearness ; there had been no rain, either at 

 Christmas, as is usual, nor in the first week of November, and October was 

 also deficient in quantity. The year 1866 was remarkable for the number 

 of its earthquakes, six or eight shocks, the greater part of which took place 

 between January and April ; 1867 and 1868 were free from them. 



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