1843.] Memoir on Indian Earthquakes. 1031* 



citadel have been much shaken, and cracked in several places. The 

 fort and town of Jelelsheer are reduced to ruins. Many of the people 

 killed were already out of doors, which is usually considered a situa- 

 tion of comparative safety. A marriage was about to be celebrated in 

 a rich man's family, and the castes had assembled from various different 

 quarters: the shock occurred when they were feasting in the streets, 

 and upwards of 500 of the party were killed among the ruins of the 

 falling houses." " All the disagreeable sensations were experienced 

 of being tossed in a ship at sea in a swell, and the rocking was so great, 

 that every moment we expected the earth to open under our feet." 



Surat.— Lat. 21° 11' N., long. 73° 7' E. The Earthquake at Surat 

 is thus described by an eye-witness : " The vibration of the couch on 

 which I was lying was so great, that I was glad to get off it ; the house 

 was considerably agitated, the furniture all in motion ; a small table close 

 to me kept striking the wall, and the lamps swung violently. I ran 

 down-stairs, and got out of my house as fast as possible. On getting 

 outside I found a number of people collected, gazing with astonishment 

 at my house, which stands alone, and was so violently agitated, that I 

 expected it to fall down. The earth was convulsed under our feet." 



Baroach.— Lat. 21° 46' N., long. 73* 14' E. At this place the 

 violence of the shock was very considerable. " Such of the houses as 

 are elevated," says an observer who was on the spot, " and at all loose- 

 ly built, creaked like the mast and rigging of a ship in a gale : Vene- 

 tians and window frames rattling violently and the buildings threaten- 

 ing immediately to fall : a considerable lateral motion was impressed 

 on every ihing that admitted of it. After this, more violent concussion 

 had lasted a minute or upwards, it was succeeded by an oscillatory 

 motion, of a more equable character, which continued for more than 

 a minute and a half, making the whole period of the convulsion nearer 

 three than two and a half minutes."* 



* I am indebted to H. Piddington, Esq. for the following additional details of the 

 great Earthquake of June 1819. In common with other interesting communications 

 previously alluded to, it arrived too late to be inserted in the body of my paper, and I 

 am accordingly constrained to give it in this form : — 



Extract from the Asiatic Journal, Vol. IX, 1820, p. 164. 



Observations made at Porebunder, (lat. '21° 39' N., long. 69° 45' E.) Since the 

 17th of June 1819, regarding the Earthquake. 



It is necessary to state that these notes of the subsequent phenomena, were com- 

 municated in a letter to a literary friend in India, which will account for the familiar 

 style of the remarks and the local allusions. 



IS th June. — Thermometer at 2 p. m. 90° ; wind light at S. W. Large electric 

 clouds approaching from all quarters: vegetation much advanced. Neither shock nor 

 tremors in the Earth, but in the person, a giddy and slight sickish or faint feel with 

 pains in the knees, and an inclination to lie down on the earth rather than sit or stand, 

 and cannot apply myself to any thing. These feelings appear to be general. 



\9th. — Thermometer at 2 p. M. 90°, cloudy ; wind light S. W. by S. A tremor in 

 the Earth at midnight, but of too short duration to allow of quitting the bed. The 

 same unpleasant personal feelings all day and night as on the 18th : feel relieved by 

 lying down, particularly on the earth. 



20th. — Thermometer at 2 p. m. 90° ; wind S. W. A sensible tremor at noon : repeat- 

 ed at 50 minutes afterwards. The same disagreeable feel as on the 18th. 



2\st. — Thermometer at 2 p. m. 90°; slight breeze at S. W. by S. Felt a continued 

 tremor of the earth at midnight while in bed : removed from bed and slept in the open 

 air, lest other shocks should bring down a shaken house. 



22nd. 



