£81 
jymeh more than France ; Mexico and Pern 
more than the other countries of America ; 
and Jamaica more than the other Caribbee 
islands. EaTthquakes are frequent, though 
not often violent, in Italy ; but in Sicily they 
are often terribly destructive. Asia Minor 
lias been remarkably subject to them from 
the remotest antiquity ; and the city of An- 
tioch in particular has sulfereci more irom 
earthquakes than any other in that country. 
The same phenomena are sai l also to occur 
very frequently in the north-eastern extre- 
mities of Asia/even in very high latitudes. 
From the observations th.it have been 
made, the following phenomena respecting 
earthquakes may be deduced, and reckoned 
pretty certain: 
1. 'Where there are any volcanoes or burn- 
ing mountains, earthquakes may reasonably 
beexpected more frequently than in other 
countries. 2. If the volcano has been for a 
long time quiet, a violent earthquake is to be 
feared, and vice versa: but to this there are 
many exceptions. 3. Earthquakes are ge- 
nerally preceded by long droughts ; but they 
do not. always come on as soon as the drought 
ceases. 4. ’'They are also preceded by elec- 
trical appearances in the air ; such as the au- 
rora borealis, falling stars, & c. but this does 
not hold universally. 5. A short time before 
the shock, the sea swells up and makes a 
great noise; fountains arc troubled, and send 
forth muddy water; and the beasts seem 
frightened, as if sensible of an approaching 
calamity. 6. 1 he air at the time of the 
shock is generally calm and serene, but af- 
terwards commonly becomes obscure and 
cloudy. 7. The shock comes on with a 
rumbling noise, sometimes like that ot car- 
riages; sometimes a rushing noise like wind, 
and sometimes explosions like the tiring of 
cannon, are heard ; sometimes the ground 
heaves perpendicularly upwards, and some- 
times rolls lrom side to side ; sometimes the 
shock begins with a perpendicular heave, 
after which the other kind of motion com- 
mences. A single shock is but ot very short 
duration, the longest scarcely lasting a mi- 
nute ; but they frequently succeed each 
other at short intervals for a considerable 
length of time. 8. During the shock, chasms 
are made in the £arth, from which sometimes 
flames, but oftener great quantities of water, 
are discharged. Flame and smoke are also 
emitted iro n parts of the earth where no 
chasms can ire perceived. Sometimes these 
chasms are but small; but in violent earth- 
quakes thev are frequently so large, that 
whole cities sink down into them at once, 
p. The water of the ocean is affected even 
more than the dry land. The sea swells 
to a prodigious height, much more than we 
could suppose it raised by the mere ele- 
vation of its bottom by the shock. Some- 
times it is divided to a considerable depth; 
and quantities of air, flames, and smoke, are 
discharged from it. The like irregular agi- 
tations happen to the waters of ponds, lakes, 
and even rivers. 10. The shock is felt at 
sea as well as on land. Ships arc affected by 
a sudden stroke, as if they had run aground, 
or struck upon a rock. 11. T he effects of 
earthquakes are not confined to one particu- 
lar district or country, but often extend, as 
was already intimated, to very distant re- 
gions ; though no earthquake has yet been 
known extensive enough to affect the whole 
EARTHQUAKES, 
globe at one time. In those places also 
where the shock is not felt on dry land, the 
irregular agitation of the waters is perceived 
very 7 remarkably. 
All these positions are verified by the ac- 
counts of those earthquakes which have been 
particularly described by witnesses of the 
best character. But above all, the great 
earthquake which happened on the 1st of 
November 1755, affords the dearest exam pie 
of all the phenomena we have mentioned ; 
having been felt violently in many places 
both on land and at sea, and extended its ef- 
fects to the waters in many other places 
where the shocks were not perceived. At 
Lisbon in Portugal its effects were most se- 
vere. 
The following account of that terrible phe- 
nomenon, by an eye-witness, is extracted 
from a volume of letters, published a lew 
years ago by the Rev. Mr. Davy: 
“ There never was a finer morning seen 
than the 1st of November 1755: the sun 
shone out in his full lustre; the whole face ot 
the sky was perfectly serene and clear; and 
not the least signal' or warning of that ap- 
proaching event, which has made this once 
flourishing, opulent, and populous city, (Lis- 
bon) a scene of the utmost horror and deso- 
lation, except only such as served to alarm, 
but scarcely left a moment’s time to fly from 
the general destruction. 
“ It was on die morning of this fatal day, 
between the hours of nine and ten,, that I was 
sat down in my apartment, just finishing a 
letter, when the papers and table I was w rit- 
ing on began to tremble with a gentle mo- 
tion, which rather surprised me, as I could 
not perceive a breath of wind stirring: whilst 
I was reflecting with myself what this could 
be owing to, but without having the least ap- 
prehension ot the real cause, the vvnole house 
began to shake from the very foundation, 
which at first 1 imputed to the rattling of se- 
veral coaches in the m an street, which usu- 
ally passed that way at this time from Belem 
to 'the palace; but on hearkening more at- 
tentively, I was soon undeceived, as 1 found 
it was owing to a strange frightful kmd ot 
noise under ground, resembling the hollow 
distant rumbling of thunder. All this passed 
in less than a minute; and I must confess I 
now began to be alarmed, as it naturally oc- 
curred to me, that this noise might possibly 
be the forerunner of an earthquake, as one I 
remembered, which had happened about six 
or seven years ago, in the island ot Madeira, 
commenced in the same manner, though it 
did little or no damage. 
“ Upon this I threw down my pen, and 
started upon my feet, remaining for a mo- 
ment in suspense, whether I should stay in 
the apartment, or run into the street, as the 
danger in both places, seemed equal; and still 
flattering myself that this tremor might pro- 
duce no other effects than such inconsider- 
able ones as hail been felt at Madeira ; but in 
a moment I was roused from my dream, be- 
ing instantly stunned with a most horrid 
crash, as if every edifice in the city had tum- 
bled down at once. The house I was in 
shook with such violence, that the upper 
stories immediately fell ; and though my 
apartment (which was the first floor) did not 
then share the same fate, yet every thing was 
thrown out of its place in such a manner, 
that it was with no small difficulty T kept my 
feet, and expected nothing less than to be soon 
crushed to death, as the wails continued rock- 
ing to and fro in the most frightful manner*, 
opening in several places, large stones tailing 
down on every side from the t racks, and the 
ends of most of the rafters starting out irom 
the roof. To add to this terrify ing scene, the 
sky in a moment became so gloomy, that I 
could now distinguish no particular object: 
it was an Egyptian darkness indeed, such as 
might be felt ; owing, no doubt, to the pro- 
digious clouds of dust and lime, raised from 
so violent a concussion, and as some report- 
ed, to sulphureous exhalations ; but this I 
cannot affirm: however, it is certain 1 found 
my self almost choaked for near ten minutes. 
“ As soon as the gloom began to disperse, 
and the violence of the stock seemed pretty 
much abated, the first object 1 perceived in 
the room was a woman sitting on the floor, 
w ith an infant in her arms, all covered with 
dust, pale, and trembling; I asked her how 
she got hither; but her consternation was so 
great, that she could give me no account of 
her escape. I suppose that when the tremor 
first began, she ran out of her own house, and 
finding herself in such imminent danger from 
the falling of stones, retired into the door of 
mine, which was almost contiguous to hers, 
for shelter; and when the shock increased, 
which filled the door with dust and rubbish, 
ran upstairs into my apartment, which was 
then open : be it as it might, this was no time 
for curiosity 1 remember the poor creature 
asked me, in the utmost agony, it l did not 
think the world was at an end; at the same 
time she complained of being choaked, and 
begged for God’s sake I would procure her a 
little drink ; upon which I went to a closet 
where 1 kept a large jar with water (which 
you know is sometimes a pretty scarce com- 
modity in Lisbon), but finding it broken to. 
pieces’, I told her she must not now think of 
quenching her thirst, but saving her life, as 
the house Tv as just falling on our heads, and 
if a second shock came, would certainly bury 
us both, i bade her take hold of my arm, 
and that 1 w ould endeavour to bring her into 
some place of security. 
“ I shall always look upon it as a particular 
providence that I happened oir this occasion 
to be undressed ; for had I dressed myself, 
as I proposed, when I got out of bed, in or- 
der to breakfast with a friend, i should, in all 
probability, have run into the street at the 
beginning of the shock, as the rest of the 
people in the house did, and consequently 
have had my 'brains dashed out, as every one 
of them had. However, the imminent dan- 
ger I was in did not hinder me from consi- 
dering that my present dress, only a gowa 
and slippers, would render my getting over 
the ruins almost impracticable: I had, there- 
fore, still presence of mind enough left to put 
on a pair of shoes and a coat, the first that 
came in my way, which was every thing I 
saved; and hi ’ this dress I hurried down 
stairs, the woman with me, holding by my 
arm, and made directly to that end of the 
street which opens to the Tagus; but finding 
the passage this way entirely blocked up with, 
tire fallen houses to' the height of their second 
stories, 1 tunled back to the other end which 
led into the main street (the common tho- 
roughfare to the palace) ; and having helped, 
the woman over a vast heap of ruins, with n*> 
