1843.] Memoir on Indian Earthquakes, 1047* 



an uncommon progress, as much to his present honour, a*s I hope it will 

 be to his future advantage. This favour he obligingly granted me, and 

 I send it to you, Sir, not only to compare it with the other translation, 

 but to give you some distant idea of the idiom and great simplicity of 

 this Eastern language. 



" The same Earthquake was also very alarming at Ghiratty, when 

 Colonel Coote, with his Majesty's troops, was in cantonments, about 18 

 miles up the river from this place. The water in the river and tanks 

 there were violently agitated, and in many places rose to more than six 

 feet perpendicular height, of which I had occular demonstration myself 

 on my return from Chandernagore, a settlement lately belonging to the 

 French, about three miles North from Ghiratty, and in latitude 22° 54' 

 N. where it was felt, but not in a great degree : for I knew nothing of 

 it myself, till it was soon after told me by a certain French gentleman 

 there. 



" Nearly, at the same time, was this Earthquake felt at Calcutta, as I 

 am informed the agitation of the waters in the tanks rose upwards of 

 six feet, and was to the direction North and South. The height of the 

 thermometer on Fahrenheit's scale was then at Calcutta 95° 30', much 

 higher than it had been observed to be during the whole month, the 

 lowest descent of the mercury being 89 degrees. In this month, there 

 was much thunder and lightning, and there were fresh gales of wind at 

 S. E. ; the weather in general being close and sultry. 



"A subsequent Earthquake was felt at Calcutta on the 13th of July 

 following, at half-past two in the afternoon. The thermometer was 

 then at 87° 4' at a medium, the wind S. W., and the weather fair : to 

 this I was a witness myself, being then at dinner with Capt. Eiser of 

 H. M.'s 84th Regiment. The motion of the earth caused a very 

 sensible vibration of the wine in our glasses, and the shock was repeat- 

 ed twice at the interval of a few seconds." 



The great shock of the 2nd was followed by a succession of minor 

 shocks, which continued until the 19th April, and are detailed in the fol- 

 lowing Extract of a letter from Mr. Edward Gulston at Chittagong, 

 to Major John Carnac at Calcutta. 



" Dear Sir, — The reason principally of this address is to give you a 

 particular account of the shocks of a violent Earthquake which were felt 

 here on the 2nd instant, at 5 in the afternoon, lasting the space of four 

 minutes. The factory, a brick building, is quite spoiled, so as not to be 

 safely habitable : for thereabouts, and in many other places, the earth 

 opened, and the waters rushed out prodigiously : and in the chaise-road, 

 especially towards the north quarter, there are great chasms, two feet wide 

 and upwards, so strange, that the morning after riding that way, my 

 horse started and went round another way, not willing to go over them. 



" At the time of the first shock, great explosions were heard, like the 

 noise of cannons, of which Mr. Plaisted and others counted 15. 



" All the tanks overflowed their banks, fish were cast up, and the river 

 rushed upon the shore like the surf of the sea. It was the most extra- 



