282 MITCHILL ON THE EARTHQUAKES OF 1811, 1812, AND 1813. 



collected by myself; and are in readiness to be offered to the society 

 at the first convenient time. 



My present intention is to read to you the information I have 

 gathered on another occurrence of those portentous days. I mean the 

 phenomena of the earthquakes, which terrified the country about the 

 same period, and which continued a long time afterwards. 



On the morning of Monday, the 16th December, 1811, several shocks 

 of earthquakes were felt at the city of Washington. The first of these 

 happened at three o'clock; and in some houses was considerable enough 

 to shake the doors and windows, and wake persons from their sleep. 

 There were successive tremors. Tassels of curtains were seen to 

 move ; and pitchers of washing-stands were heard to rattle upon their 

 basins. The sound was very distinguishable, and was believed by many 

 to pass from southwest to northeast. The alarm was so great in some 

 families, that searches were made from room to room, to discover the 

 robbers who were imagined to have broken into the houses. 



A second shock, though lighter, was experienced about six o'clock; 

 and a third about eight. 



A gentleman standing in his chamber at his desk and writing, in the 

 third story of a brick house, upon the Capitol Hill, suddenly perceived 

 his body to be in motion, vibrating backward and forward, and producing 

 dizziness. Not suspecting at the moment that the uncomfortable sen- 

 sation was caused by an earthquake, he examined his desk to know 

 whether it stood firm. Finding that it did, he dropped his pen ; and 

 turning his eyes upward, discerned that the looking-glass, and other 

 things hanging near him, were in a similar motion. 



Another person was near a table placed beneath a mirror. Feeling 

 a giddiness come upon him, he seized the table for support. The 

 general agitation of the chamber and house ceased in about a minute ; 

 but the looking-glass, which was suspended in the usual manner, con- 



