104 



MEXICO. 



dreaming fancy of finding myself suddenly trotting among 

 broken rocks on the back of our fat mule. 



When we arrived at the city we heard that another 

 had occurred at six o'clock that very morning ; though 

 we, who, at that very time, were getting to horse in the 

 courtyard of the meson at three leagues' distance, had 

 been totally unconscious of it. These were the first ; 

 and glancing over my diary I see notices of daily shocks 

 occurring, at different intervals, for about ten days after 

 our arrival. 



According to many who had the means of making the 

 observations, for several entire days the earth was found 

 to exhibit a tremulous motion, with very short intervals 

 of complete repose. 



The strongest shock of which I was myself aware, 

 was felt about eleven a. m. on the 22d, when I was roused 

 from the perusal of a newspaper in the apartments of 

 the American charge d'affaires, by a sensation of confu- 

 sion and giddiness ; and, on raising my eyes, saw the 

 curtains and candelabras in motion. On going to the 

 elevated balcony, the scene presented by the broad and 

 spacious thoroughfare below w T as one of the most striking 

 1 ever saw. There was no terror and no confusion in 

 the street. Each individual of the passing multitude, as 

 far as we could see, was on his knees— each in the spot 

 where he had become sensible of the terrible phenome- 

 non — the half-naked Indian beside the veiled dama, and 

 the loathsome leper beside the gaudily dressed official. 

 The rider kneeled beside his horse, and the arriero among 

 his mules; the carriages had halted, and their gay con- 

 tents bent in clusters in the centre of the pavement. 

 The bustle of the crowded thoroughfare had become 

 hushed, and nothing was heard but a low murmur of 

 pattered prayers ; while, with a slow, lateral motion 

 from north to south, the whole city sw 7 ung like a ship at 

 anchor, for about the space of a minute and a half. When 

 the shock was over, the multitude rose ; and each went 

 about his business with a nonchalance which proved how 

 the frequent recurrences of this phenomenon had nerved 

 the public mind. In fact, it is seldom that they are of a 



