3(5(3 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [No. 4. 



Second. An account of a visit to Barren Island. This paper 

 was read to the Meeting by the Chairman. 



4. From Capt. G. H. Saxton, 38th M. N. I., Cuttack, the follow- 

 ing note on the hist shock of an earthquake. 



" I beg to bring to your notice, that this place was yesterday- 

 visited by a slight earthquake. As it may be thought desirable that 

 such an event should be placed on the records of the Society, I am 

 induced to write. The shock took place at 25 minutes past 3 o'clock 

 in the afternoon, and was of considerable violence, sufficient to give 

 a feeling of giddiness; it was not accompanied by any thing unusual 

 atmospherically or otherwise. There was a slight breeze at the time, 

 and light clouds. In the bed of the river close by, the sand rose 

 and drifted as though the breeze was stronger there, as at this 

 season (during the rains) it does not so readily rise. The peculiar 

 position of the earth with reference to the sun and moon, 

 is remarkable, the occurrence taking place about a couple of hours 

 before a lunar eclipse. The shock lasted for a very few seconds. 

 The vibration of a set of ricketty shelves with glasses close by where 

 I was sitting, continued after the shock and was a very palpable 

 evidence of the amount of violence." 



The Chairman communicated to the Meeting the following in- 

 formation regarding a flood of the Indus. 



i( At 5 a. m. on the 10th August, the Indus at Attock was very 

 low. At 7 it had risen 10 feet. By half past twelve in the after- 

 noon it had risen 50 feet, and it continued to rise till it stood 90 

 feet higher than it did in the morning. The exact hour of greatest 

 flood is not mentioned. 



The Cabul river continued to flow upwards for 10 hours ! 



At Nowshera the whole station was entirely destroyed, excepting 

 the public buildings which are all uninjured. But the water was 

 several feet deep in the barracks. 



The above facts are derived from a letter from the Deputy Com- 

 missioner of Peshawur. 



A similar flood occurred in 1841. 



There is no doubt that the present flood, like that of 1841, was 

 caused by landslips among the mountains blocking up the river ia 

 the upper part of its course. The obstruction suddenly giving way 



