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nature, might be checked or diminifhed for a very 

 fmall fpace of time, without its being perceived 

 by feiife, or difcovered by any of our time- 

 keepers. I am of opinion, that time will dif- 

 cover to us, that this mighty Ihock has extended 

 its influence farther than the generality of people 

 imagine. I think it already appears, that the 

 whole Atlantic Ocean has been violently moved. 

 Many accounts from America v/e received, which 

 mentioned unnatural and fudden riflngs and fall- 

 ings of the fea, without giving us the precife 

 time, tho I believe them to have been on the firfl 

 of November. One letter particularly from 

 Barbadoes fays, on the firft of November, at 

 about two o'clock in the afternoon, the fea ebbed 

 and flowed in a Arrange manner, and brought 

 up fifli over the wharfs into people's houfes. See 

 General Evening F oft of December 27. 1755. This 

 feems to prove, that the fliock v/as rather on the 

 €afl:ern than on the wefliern fide of the great At- 

 lantic Ocean. Therefore, fuppofing the caufe 

 to be in Portugal, its progreiîlve motion may 

 be traced to the Weil-Indies, which motion 

 feems to have taken up about feven hours \ for 

 from ten in the morning in Portugal, to two in 



the 



