EARTHQUAKES. 



251 



of mud, accompanied with a disagreeable stench. The air is gener- 

 ally calm, but the cattle discover much alarm, and seem to be, in- 

 stinctively, aware of approaching calamity. A deep rumbling noise, 

 like that of carriages over a rough pavement — a rushing sound like 

 wind — or a tremendous explosion like the discharge of artillery, — 

 immediately precede the shock, which, suddenly, heaves the ground 

 upwards, or tosses it, from side to side, with violent and successive 

 vibrations. The shock seldom lasts longer than a minute ; but it is 

 frequently succeeded by others of greater or less violence, which, 

 for a considerable time, continue to agitate the surface of the earth. 

 During these shocks, large chasms and openings are made in the 

 ground, through which smoke and flames are seen to issue : these 

 sometimes breakout where no chasms can be perceived. More fre- 

 quently, stones, or torrents of water, are ejected from these open- 

 ings. In violent earthquakes, the chasms are so extensive, that large 

 cities have, in a moment, sunk down and for ever disappeared, leav- 

 ing a lake of water in the place. Such was the fate of Euphemia in 

 Calabria, in 1638, as described by Kircher, who was approaching 

 the place, when the agitation of the ocean obliged him to land at 

 Lopizicum. " Here," says he, " scenes of ruin every where appear- 

 ed around me : but my attention was quickly turned from more re- 

 mote to contiguous danger, by a deep rumbling sound, which every 

 moment grew louder. The place where we stood shook most dread- 

 fully. After some time, the violent paroxysm ceasing, I stood up, 

 and turning my eyes to look for Euphemia, saw only a frightful black 

 cloud. We waited till it had passed away, when nothing but a dis- 

 mal and putrid lake was to be seen where the city once stood." 



The extent to which earthquakes produce sensible effects on the 

 waters of springs and lakes in distant parts of the world, is truly re- 

 markable. During the earthquake of Lisbon, in 1775, almost all 

 the springs and lakes in Britain, and every part of Europe, were 

 violently agitated, many of them throwing up mud and sand, and 

 emitting a foetid odour. On the morning of the earthquake, the hot 

 springs atToplitz, in Bohemia, suddenly ceased for a minute to flow, 

 and then burst forth with prodigious violence, throwing up turbid wa- 

 ter, the temperature of which was higher than before ; it is said to 

 have continued so, ever since. The hot wells at Bristol were col- 

 oured red, and rendered unfit for use, for some months afterwards. 

 Even the distant waters of Lake Ontario*, in North America, were 

 violently agitated at the time. These phenomena offer proofs of sub- 

 terranean communications under a large portion of the globe ; they 

 also indicate, that a great quantity of gas or elastic vapour was, sud- 

 denly, generated and endeavouring to escape. From the foetid odour 



* It has been observed during man}'- eathqnakes in the Eastern States, that the 

 subterranean noise and motion appeared to commence from the Lakes, and pro- 

 ceed towards the Atlantic Ocean, in a direction from the north-west. 



