248 NATURAL HISTORY 
his family ; and, juft by, a {lout new barn. The cottage was 
inhabited by an old woman and her fon, and his wife. Thefe people 
in the evening, which was very dark and tempeltuous, obferved that 
the brick floors of their kitchens began to heave and part ; and 
that the walls feemed to open, and the roofs to crack ; but they 
all agree that no tremor of the ground, indicating an earthquake, 
was ever felt ; only that the wind continued to make a mod tremen- 
dous roaring in the woods and hangers. The miferable inhabi- 
tants, not daring to go to bed, remained in the utmoft folicitude 
and confufion, expeding every moment to be buried under the 
ruins of their fl:iattered edifices. When day-light came they 
were at leifure to contemplate the devaftations of the night : they 
then found that a deep rift, or chafm, had opened under their 
houfes, and torn them, as it were, in two ; and that one end of 
the barn had fuffered in a fimilar manner ; that a pond near the 
cottage had undergone a ftrange reverfe, becoming deep at the 
lliallow end, and fo vice verfa ; that many large oaks were removed 
out of their perpendicular, fome thrown down, and fome fallen 
into the heads of neighbouring trees ; and that a gate was thruft 
forward, with it's hedge, full fix feet, fo as to require a new track 
to be made to it. From the foot of the cliff the general courfe of 
the ground, which is pafture, inclines in a moderate defcent for 
half a mile, and is interfperfed with fome hillocks, which were 
rifted, in every diredion, as well towards the great woody hanger, 
as from it. In the firft pafture the deep clefts began ; and running 
acrofs the lane, and under the buildings, made fuch vaft flielves 
that the road was impaffable for fome time ; and fo over to 
an arable field on the other fide, which was flrangely torn and dif- 
ordered. The fecond pafture field, being more foft and fpringy, 
was protruded forward without many filTures in the turf, which 
was 
