560 
Prof. MUne — Across Europe and Asia. 
At the settlement of Ooreekofskim, which is about 20 versts from 
Irkutsk, an iron tie was torn from a church, and great damage was 
done. The Southern boundary of the earthquake passed through Urga 
and Mongolia, and was perceptible at all places about the same time. 
Earthquakes continued during the months of January, February, 
and even March, few days passing without shocks being feit. 
In 1870 to 1871 strong shocks were also feit near Irkutsk. These 
were preceded by sounds like those of a powerful wind. Grosses 
feil from the churches, and the ice in the Angara, which was frozen 
at the time, moved up and down. One observer assured me tliat 
the upright planks, which formed the wall of the room in which 
he slept, had danced vertically up and down. When at the otlier 
extremity of Siberia, on my road towards Irkutsk, I had lieard some- 
thing about the violence of the earthquakes which I might per- 
chance have the opportunity of experiencing. In consequence of 
the severity of the shocks 1 had also lieard that the houses were 
only built one story high ; but this is not the case, for I found 
that buildings soared almost as high in the Eastern Capital as 
they do in the Western. All the earthquakes, like those of which I 
have spoken, have been accompanied by an Underground noise. 
During the daytime the trembling of the buildings can be seen as 
well as feit. The s maller shocks, and more especially such as occur 
at night, are said to be indicated by the bellowing of cattle, the 
neighing of liorses, and the howling of dogs. The general direction 
of the shocks is from N.E. to S.W. I was told that when only a 
slight shock was feit in Irkutsk, it often happened that something 
more severe was feit in the valley of the Tunka, about 80 miles to 
the S.W. This latter district is looked upon as being the centre 
from which the greater number of the Irkutsk earthquakes originate, 
a circumstance which may be supposed to have a connexion with 
the traces of volcanic action found in that district. Indications of 
volcanic forces are to be found at other points in the vicinity of 
Irkutsk, besides those in the valley of the Tunka : thus round Lake 
Baikal, in addition to old lavas, there are still hot springs and 
mineral waters. A liquid asphalt, which sometimes rises to the 
surface of the lake, is also referred to the same origin. On the 
Verkne Angara, south of Nijni Udinsk, and near Selenginsk, on 
the east siele of the Baikal, there are also volcanic rocks ; but I 
shall speak again of these presently. 
Some few earthquakes appear to have originated from the neigh- 
bourhood of the Baikal, or even from the lake itself. These earth- 
quake shocks occur at all times of the year, and are not confined to 
particular seasons, as they appear to be in many localities. After a 
great earthquake, as that of 1861, there is generally a period of 
quiescence, as if the internal forces were exhausted, and were 
therefore necessitated to await a fresh accumulation of energy. 
The first record of an earthquake is that of 1725. This seems 
stränge, insomuch as the town was built in 1686, and the place had 
been inhabited since 1652. From this we may infer that, prior to 
the date of the first shock, there must have been a quiescent period 
