1845.] for the year 1843. 617 



June, details the effects of the shock as experienced at Colombo :• — " On 

 Saturday morning, at about half-past 12, a slight shock of an Earth- 

 quake, which lasted half a minute, was felt at Colombo. 



"Persons who happened not to have gone to bed felt the ground to 

 tremble, and heard furniture and even roofs of houses to crack. Many 

 amusing anecdotes are told of those who were awoke by the shock ; 

 some supposing tricks were being played upon them, others that rob- 

 bers were in their houses, and several that people were under their 

 beds." 



The " Ceylon Herald" of the 20th, gives the following particulars : 

 " On Friday night, the 17th, at about half-past 12, Colombo and its 

 vicinity were visited by an Earthquake, the most terrific of all natural 

 phenomena. It was however so slight, that many people were not 

 at all aware of it, and what was worse, they would hardly believe it 

 when they were informed. 



" Three distinct shocks were felt at very short intervals, all three not 

 perhaps so long as a minute ; great numbers were aware of two shocks, 

 and all agree that the last was the smallest. Most people having retired 

 for the night, they were awakened by their beds being moved upwards 

 in a most remarkable manner, while the curtains moved backwards and 

 forwards, doors and windows shook, and occasionally a creak was heard 

 from the rafters and crockery in the godowns ; but although fears were 

 entertained that injury was done to the houses, not a single instance of 

 the kind has been brought under notice. 



"The officer on guard felt the guard-room vibrate; and in another 

 quarter of Colombo a gentleman writes, that his whole house moved 

 the same as a ship when struck by a heavy sea. 



" From Galle we learn, that it was felt there at the same time, and with 

 no greater force. As yet we have heard nothing of its being felt in 

 the Central Province. It is very rarely that Earthquakes happen 

 either in Ceylon or Southern India; we have heard of one in 1823, 

 which at Hambantotte caused the glass on the sideboard to jingle, and 

 it was pretty generally felt throughout the Island. 



"It frequently happens, that an extraordinary fall of the Barometer is 

 observed to precede an Earthquake, but we have not heard yet whether 

 this symptom of its approach was noticed here or not ; such a fall of the 

 Barometer lately attracted considerable attention on the Coast, in con- 

 nexion with the late storms, and it will be curious to know whether it 



