102 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [March, 



Upon the invitation of the President, Mr. Leonard gave a short 

 account of his recent visit to Cachar. He stated that the reports 

 regarding the severity of the earthquake, and especially as to its 

 action in rupturing the earth, were considerably exaggerated ; early 

 reports were decidedly so, most people being so much surprised and 

 alarmed by the shock and its results, that they seemed to be incapaci- 

 tated at the time for making anything like accurate observations, and 

 hence very great caution should be observed in accepting information 

 as to the intensity of the shock, or as to the direction of the wave. 

 He could vouch for the fact, that highly exaggerated and most incorrect 

 accounts had been received by himself on the subject. 



Regarding the point of greatest intensity, he was first inclined to 

 think it was about Silchar, or even more to the west ; but since he 

 returned from Cachar, he had an opportunity of seeing a letter from 

 Doctor Brown, the resident at Manipoor, whose account seems to show 

 that the shock had been as severe at Manipoor as in Silchar. To the 

 south of Silchar the shock — judging by the land slips caused — seems to 

 have been felt less than in the station, and to the northwest along the 

 road to Cheera Poonjee, for instance, the effects were decidedly less. 



There was great difficulty in deciding, from the observation of 

 facts, the direction of the wave. Statements of individuals were 

 generally to the effect, that the movement was from about the south. 

 The church tower fell to the north : but an unfinished building of 

 Messrs. Snells, which consisted almost entirely of unsupported pillars, 

 was thrown down in all directions ; the pillars were free to fall in any 

 direction and they really fell to all four points of the compass. Mr. 

 Leonard said, it might be worth noting that houses, with the ordinary 

 Indian flat roof all stood, while most of those with roofs which did 

 not give support to the walls were thrown down or damaged. 



He stated that the photographs of damages done by the earthquake, 

 were calculated to give an exaggerated idea of the extent of distur- 

 bance of the earth. The disturbances in every case which he had 

 seen, were caused by the slipping in of the banks of the large rivers, or 

 of old river beds, or partially filled up jheels ; though he had travelled 

 through the disturbed district for over one hundred and fifty miles, he 

 had not seen a single case of disturbance or fracture of solid ground, 

 unaffected by rivers or jheels running through it. Many of the slips 

 along the river banks were very extensive, in some cases being con- 



