﻿THE 
  BARISAL 
  JUNS. 
  2^5 
  

  

  observations 
  extended 
  over 
  a 
  sufficiently 
  long 
  period 
  of 
  time. 
  Impres- 
  

   sions 
  are 
  frequently 
  founded 
  on 
  a 
  very 
  slight 
  basis 
  of 
  fact 
  ; 
  thus 
  the 
  

   recurrence 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  'guns 
  ' 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  morning, 
  or 
  in 
  foggy 
  weather, 
  

   might 
  start 
  an 
  impression 
  that 
  these 
  were 
  the 
  circumstances 
  in 
  which 
  

   the 
  sounds 
  were 
  most 
  frequently 
  heard, 
  and, 
  the 
  impression 
  once 
  

   started, 
  all 
  cases 
  agreeing 
  with 
  it 
  would, 
  as 
  human 
  nature 
  is 
  consti- 
  

   tuted, 
  be 
  more 
  noticed 
  than 
  those 
  which 
  did 
  not 
  agree 
  with 
  it, 
  and 
  so, 
  

   unless 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  preponderance 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  the 
  

   impression 
  would 
  remain. 
  So 
  too, 
  at 
  a 
  subsequent 
  date, 
  another 
  

   person 
  might 
  be 
  struck 
  by 
  the 
  recurrence 
  of 
  ( 
  guns 
  ' 
  in 
  the 
  late 
  

   afternoon, 
  and 
  the 
  impression 
  would 
  arise 
  that 
  they 
  most 
  frequently 
  

   occurred 
  at 
  that 
  time. 
  

  

  Taking 
  this 
  into 
  consideration, 
  there 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  any 
  

   good 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  ' 
  guns 
  ' 
  are 
  specially 
  associated 
  with 
  anytime 
  

   of 
  day 
  or 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  or 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  accompanied 
  by 
  any 
  

   particular 
  form 
  of 
  weather, 
  except, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  noticed, 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  

   not 
  generally 
  heard 
  when 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  high 
  wind. 
  Nor 
  is 
  there 
  even 
  

   any 
  good 
  reason 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  each 
  individual 
  dis- 
  

   trict, 
  there 
  is 
  any 
  such 
  connection 
  between 
  a 
  special 
  form 
  of 
  weather 
  

   and 
  the 
  hearing 
  of 
  the 
  sounds 
  as 
  would 
  imply 
  their 
  being 
  due 
  

   to 
  peculiar 
  atmospheric 
  conditions. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  one 
  point 
  on 
  which 
  all 
  accounts 
  are 
  agreed, 
  that 
  the 
  

   sounds 
  are 
  seldom 
  heard 
  singly. 
  They 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  almost 
  univer- 
  

   sally 
  heard 
  in 
  groups 
  of 
  three 
  or 
  more, 
  separated 
  by 
  comparatively 
  

   short 
  intervals 
  of 
  time, 
  each 
  group 
  being 
  separated 
  by 
  a 
  comparatively 
  

   long 
  interval. 
  This 
  is 
  an 
  important 
  point, 
  for 
  in 
  it 
  the 
  ' 
  guns 
  ' 
  agree 
  

   in 
  mode 
  of 
  occurrence 
  not 
  only 
  with 
  earthquakes 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  felt, 
  

   but 
  also 
  with 
  those 
  minute 
  and 
  rapid 
  tremors 
  which 
  cannot 
  be 
  felt 
  

   but 
  only 
  make 
  themselves 
  known 
  as 
  earthquake-sounds 
  or 
  sound- 
  

   earthquakes. 
  

  

  This 
  brings 
  us 
  back 
  tc 
  what 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  only 
  explanation 
  

   universally 
  applicable, 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  the 
  * 
  Barisal 
  guns 
  ' 
  and 
  similar 
  

  

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  205 
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