42 



CHILI. 



town, the ground continued in motion for seven 

 minutes, sometimes rising and falling, but more 

 frequently vibrating with great rapidity ; it then 

 became still for some minutes, then vibrated 

 again, and so on, without an intermission longer 

 than a quarter of an hour for several days. The 

 earthquake now abated a little ; the intervals be- 

 came longer, and the shocks not quite so violent : 

 but it was not till six months afterwards that it 

 could be said to be entirely over ; for the ground 

 during that period was never long steady, and the 

 frightful noises in the earth constantly portended 

 fresh calamities. 



In the course of these interesting descriptions, 

 we were struck with the occasional introduction of 

 minute characteristic circumstances, which, how- 

 ever trivial in themselves, served to stamp the au- 

 thenticity of the whole. One of the party, for in- 

 stance, was describing the effect of a severe shock, 

 which, he said, happened at four o'clock in the 

 afternoon. " Oh no,'' said another, " it was later, 

 I assure you.'' — " Indeed it was not," answered 

 the first ; " don't you remember we were playing 

 at bowls at the time, and when the sound was 



