1849.] Miscellaneous. 173 



marched to Jumoona-mookh ; the day was sultry and close, the next day, 

 18th, I set out to return to Ruha about 8 a. m., the weather still gloomy 

 and close ; at 10 a. m. the rain came down heavily and continued with- 

 out intermission all day and a greater part of the night ; the 19th was 

 cloudy, the 20th cloudy and rain for some hours. 21st, the same kind 

 of gloomy weather and a drizzling rain and a heavy oppressive atmo- 

 sphere, so much so that I fully expected the approach of an earthquake, 

 as my experience in Assam is that I have invariably observed we are 

 sure to have earthquakes when the weather is gloomy and the atmo- 

 sphere dense, not a breath of air stirring or thing moving ; on the 22nd, 

 the weather was still close ; on the 23rd during the day the sun came out 

 but was occasionally obscured, and the atmosphere was heavy, and I felt 

 oppressed whilst marching on the morning of the 22nd, and the evening 

 of the 23rd ; not a breath of air was stirring. On many occasions I have 

 observed this remarkable circumstance — a dead calm, a stagnation of the 

 atmosphere, and a perfect stillness is sure to prevail before the occurrence 

 of an earthquake, if not at the time. On the 24th, the weather still conti- 

 nued close and gloomy, heavy rain fell on "Wednesday night ; the 24th, 

 25th, the morning was cloudy and the sun did not come out till the 

 afternoon ; weather close and sultry. 26th, as I before observed, I felt 

 another slight shock of an earthquake about 5 a. m., it was not severe, 

 nor did it last so long as the others, but was accompanied with a 

 rumbling noise, which the others were not. The shocks seem to come 

 from the south-east, and to proceed northerly or rather north-west. 

 I have been thus minute regarding these earthquakes that you may 

 compare your own observations with my notes. 



(Signed) J« Butler. 



Earthquakes experienced in Assam in the latter end of January, 1849. 



Capt. Dalton, Gowhatty. — We experienced here on the morning of 

 the 26th, two shocks of an earthquake, which were very remarkable, 

 not so much for the violence of the shocks — for that was nothing to 

 signify — but for the loud noise that preceded, accompanied and was heard 

 some seconds after the trembling had ceased. There could be no 

 mistake as to whence the noise proceeded ; I heard it distinctly 'two or 



