260 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgli. [march 19, 
It may be mentioned that Phladda lies nearly on the line of the 
great fracture which runs through Scotland from Inverness in a 
south-westerly direction. This was the third earthquake felt at 
this station within five years. 
On 18th June 1885 a slight shock was experienced at Ballachulish, 
and also in Glencoe. 
On 26th September 1885, at 10 p.m., the lightkeepers at North 
Unst, which also lies nearly on the line of fracture, reported that 
“ we felt the tower shake very suddenly; the men in bed, as well 
as the man on watch, felt it the same. We can’t account for it, 
unless it was a slight shock of an earthquake ; no heavy sea, and 
the wind light from north. Barometer, 29*75 ; thermometer, 46° T.” 
On 18th December 1887, between five and six in the evening, a 
very slight shock of earthquake was felt in the Loch Broom district 
of Eoss-shire. 
On 12th January 1888 the meteorological observer at Glenquoich, 
Inverness-shire, observed a mild shock of earthquake. 
On Tuesday, 31st January of this year, an earthquake was reported 
in the newspapers as being felt in the midland counties of England. 
Eartlujuakes of 2nd February 1888. 
At 3.30 A.M., 2nd February, a slight shock was felt at Comrie, in 
Scotland, and about the same hour a slight tremor was felt at Loch 
Broom. About 5 a.m. on the same day a rather sharp shock of 
earthquake was experienced along the line of the Great Glen, making 
itself felt over a large portion of Scotland. The rupture seems to 
have taken place at Loch Ness, and the shock was propagated in all 
directions, but with diminishing severity. The following account, 
kindly communicated to me by Mr Paterson, Engineer to the 
Highland Eailway Company, is of special interest and value, 
coming as it does from an accurate observer ; — 
“ As regards the actual time the earthquake occurred, one of my 
assistants fixed it at 5 a.m. exactly, and others at 5.2 a.m. There 
were the usual six of us, including my daughter, aged 13, and two 
servant girls under my roof that night. Four of us were awakened 
by the shock ; my daughter and one of the servant girls were not. 
On awaking I felt a tremor, considerably exceeding the vibration we 
are accustomed to from shunting operations at the station (we are 
