PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 7 
Earthquakes.—At the commencement of our session the 
second great earthquake of modern times was recorded, 
visiting northern India, devastating the country for miles, 
and causing many casualties. Highty per cent. of they 
population of, the district were killed or injured; 7 Kuro- 
pean children and 470 Ghurkas were killed by the fall of 
some stone barracks. The latest estimate of the loss of life 
(May 25th) gives the total deaths at 20,000. The earth- 
quake originated in the western Himalayas about Dhar- 
masala, its intensity increased through the Punjaub and 
the United North-west Provinces, and while from Rajpoo- 
tana northwards it decreased rapidly; apparently there 
was no wide extension of the disturbance towards Assam 
and Afghanistan. Dr. Charles Davison in a recent paper 
states that the earthquake area included about 17,000 
Square miles. 
Professor David gave a very interesting account of the 
track of these disturbances, showing how they encircle the 
Pacific Ocean, and also showing the tendency of all steep 
grades, e.g., the Mount Lofty Range in South Australia, 
to be visited frequently by such tremors, and pointing out 
that the weighting of the earth due to the silt and deposits 
brought down by the rivers, increases the liability to be 
affected. The previous large earthquake in India was that 
of June 12th 1897; it extended from Delhi on the west to 
Siam on the east, and beyond the Himalayas in the north, 
to Hyderabad in the south, so that it must have been felt 
over an area of at least 1,200,000 square miles. 
At Shillong, Assam, where the earliest movements were 
recorded at 5h. 15m, a deep rumbling preceded the shock by 
about two seconds, the greatest violence immediately 
following—in all two or three seconds; the buildings were 
razed anda peculiar pink cloud of plaster dust was seen 
hanging over every house at Shillong at the end of the 
