Mr. Hardy on Border Earthquakes. 227 



dragon, which terrified the people." {Local Historian 's Table- 

 Booh, I., p. 79.) The next account that I meet with has 

 escaped the researches of Mr Milne Home, in his " Register 

 of Earthquake Shocks felt in Great Britain, from 1608 to 

 1839." (Edin. New Phil. Journal, Vol XXXI-XXXIV.) It is 

 contained in two letters that appeared in the Newcastle 

 Courant, March 23rd, 1727-8. The shock was preceded by- 

 successive displays of Aurora, an accompaniment or precursor 

 of earthquakes visible in various other instances, including 

 that of 1871. The first notice is dated Galashiels, March 4. 

 " On Thursday last, at 8 at night, there was perceived in the 

 air towards the north, an extraordinary meteor in form of an 

 arch, the side pointing to the earth dark and gloomy, with 

 the bright side upwards ; which, disappearing till about 3 

 next morning, the 1st instant, it was again observed, with 

 extraordinary commotion in the air, towards the north-east. 

 The vapour was of a pale yellow colour, going in flakes of a 

 considerable breadth, with a whissling distinctly as they 

 drove up ; and the nearer they approached the zenith of the 

 atmosphere, the more it increased. About half an hour after 

 four, a shock of an earthquake was felt all over the place and 

 some miles round about." The second report is dated Selkirk, 

 March 3. " Last Friday morning, a little before 4 o'clock, I 

 was awakened by a noise something like a clap of thunder, 

 which, after it had roared for about four minutes, died away 

 insensibly ; when it ceased, I arose out of my bed and looked 

 out at the window, and seeing the air clear except two small 

 windy-like clouds in the north, I concluded that it had been 

 the morning-drum by which I had been alarmed. Next 

 morning I was told by everybody that there had been an 

 earthquake, and that it had shaken all the houses in town." 

 The day after, the writer met, on a public occasion, a con- 

 course of gentlemen from all parts of the country, and took 

 the opportunity to question them narrowly about what had 

 happened. " Some of them were abroad at the time, and 

 both felt the shock and heard the noise which followed ; 

 others said they were almost tossed out of bed ; and others, 

 especially those who lived to the southward, heard no noise, 

 but were dreadfully shaken in their beds." 



May 15, 1768, there were, at Newcastle, at 4 p.m., two 

 shocks ; they were very strong at Kendal, Darlington, and 

 Middleton. {Ed. New Phil. Jour., XXXI., p. 104). 



December 8, 1780, there was a slight shock at Newcastle, 



