CATALOGUE. 



23 



A.D. 



1839- March 23rd blackish appearance had been ejected. The earthquake 



— contd. was not accompanied by any perceptible smell. 



" Judging from the appearance the city walls of Amarapoora 

 and Ava presented the next morning after the great shock, 

 I am decidedly of opinion that it must have been felt 

 stronger in the latter than in the former city. 



" At Tsagaing, I will not say that it was not stronger than 

 at Ava, either on the hill tops or on the river side. My 

 reason for supposing this is, that the pagodas on both 

 sides of the river presented the same appearance ; that is, 

 they were all deprived of their ' htees', and the same 

 quantity of brick-work from the top. 



" This earthquake was felt at Bamo and Eangoon ; in fact, 

 all over the Burman territory. In Eangoon, the time 

 observed was very nearly the same as here ; it did no 

 damage, but was strong enough to ring pagoda and soma 

 house bells, and alarm the inhabitants. 



" From all I have been able to learn, I think Ava must have 

 been about the centre. 



" After the great quake, we had strong shocks all day 

 every five or twenty minutes, but none coming up to 

 the first in violence. They were, almost invariably, pre- 

 ceded a second or two by a sound resembling a cannon 

 fired at a distance ; or, at other times, as if a number of 

 carriages were passing over a rough bridge under ground. 

 There were two distinct kinds of earthquakes : that pre- 

 ceded by the cannon-like sound had little or no rolling 

 motion, but more resembled some one thumping up from 

 below, as it wei'e : it made the houses 'dirrl' and set the 

 slates and glasses a dancing. The other came like the 

 wave of the sea, with a motion generally from east to 

 West; at least that was my impression at the time. 



" The under-ground sounds seemed to come always from the 

 eastwards. 



" For four or five days we had nothing but earthquakes every 

 fifteen to thirty minutes ; and for sis months after, 

 scarcely a day passed without one. In fact, it is only the 

 last three years that we have been tolerably free from 

 them. 



" The impression left on the people was, that it was very 

 unsafe to live in brick buildings, unless a wooden frame 



( 185 ) 



