EARTHQUAKES. . Sat 



1663 (February 5), a severe shock was felt in Canada, New 
England, and New York, severe enough to open and shut 
doors, ring bells, split walls, and let floors fall through ; and 
while the first shock continued nearly half an hour, a most 
uncommon thing, the secondary shocks continued at inter- 
vals until July. In 1727, an earthquake occurred in the ter- 
titory between the Delaware and Kennebec rivers, centreing, 
_ apparently, near the Merrimack river. Springs changed their 
_ Place, and some dried up; the water in wells was rendered 
_ turbid and unfit to drink, so that people pumped the wells 
dry thinking some carrion had fallen in. November 18th, 
1755, a shock threw down about a hundred chimneys, and 
about fifteen hundred were shattered more or less in Boston. 
e ends of twelve or fifteen brick buildings were thrown 
down from the top to the eaves of the house. The duration 
of the shock was nearly four and a half minutes. On the 
3 mine day the sea withdrew from the harbor of St. Martin’s, 
mthe West Indies, leaving vessels high and dry, and on its 
 Teturn the waves rose more than six feet above high-water 
mark. This was nine hours after the shock was felt in 
Boston, Since then no severe shocks have been felt in 
New England, although a band of extinct volcanoes extends 
through its midst, curving from Montreal to New Jersey. 
These gentle breathings of Mother Earth become terrible 
‘S@Sps and spasms in other regions, and as examples of her 
terrible power, the earthquake of Lisbon, and the repeated 
shocks of the Andean region, may be here recalled. 
_ November 1st, 1755, about half past nine in the morning, 
à sudden subterranean noise was heard, and in a few seconds 
os Principal buildings of Lisbon were in ruins. It wasa 
Sete day , and the churches were crowded; the high steeples 
: ad the solid walls fell together, and thousands of people 
Were crushed beneath the ruins. People in the upper stories 
he houses were generally more fortunate than those be- 
a Or in the streets, but it was believed that sixty thousand 
Perished on this terrible day in Lisbon. To add to the hor- 
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