CATALOGUE. 25 



A.D. 



1839. March 23rd. I do not find further notices of any earthquakes in Burmah, 

 — contd. although, prohahly, the form in which phenomena attend- 



ing the death of kings are stated by Padre San Germano 

 to be recorded in the Royal Chronicle, may be taken as 

 proof of their not unf requent occurrence. * 

 The large lake called Endan-gyi, west of Mogoung, is said 

 to cover the site of a large Shan town called Tumansye. 

 The Natives affirm that it was destroyed by an earth- 

 quake. 2 — Yule's Narrative, App., p. 349. 

 Ava, Burmah, Amarapooea, &c. — Two very severe shocks 

 at the hour mentioned, succeeded by a series of minor 

 ones up to 8 o'clock, and almost daily shocks afterwards 

 for many months. Scarcely a brick building in the 

 town was left standing. The current of the Irawadi was 

 reversed at a time. In several places great earth-fissures 

 were produced 10 to 20 feet wide, from which large 

 quantities of water and grey earth were thrown out, 

 emitting a sulphureous smell. Ava and Tsagain were 

 destroyed, 200 to 300 persons killed, not a temple left, 

 Pelt also at Moulmein and for more than 1,000 miles 

 north and south. The direction of shocks said to be 

 from north to south. — Asiat. Jour., xxx, 194 ; xxxn, 

 118 (1839.) 

 A letter from the Bevd. E. Kincaid, Baptist Missionary in 

 Burmah, published in Silliman's Journal, gives a forcible 

 account of this violent and destructive earthquake. He 

 says the earth reeled "from east to west. Everything 

 built of brick, houses, monasteries, temples, pagodas, and 

 city walls, all crumbled down." Letters up to the 11th 

 of April stated, that "the noise has not yet ceased, and 

 that shocks of considerable force were felt day and night, 

 with seldom so much as an hour's intermission. Prome to 

 south of Ava and Bamo to the north are said to have been 

 entirely overthrown." — Silliman's Jour., xxxvin, 385. 

 At Kyouk Phyoo a smart shock of an earthquake, imme- 

 diately followed by a magnificent burst of fire from the 

 range of volcanic hills to the south-west of the station, 



1 "When there is an earthquake in Pegu," Valentyn says, " they think that the King 

 will die, or will lose his throne, or will oppress them, or that there will he a famine, or 

 something else." — ! ! 



a Journal, Asiatic Society, Bengal, vol. VI, page 274. 



( 187 ) 



