[ 4 ] 
The whole Iafted but a few feconds ; but the jarring 
was great enough to caufe the window-fhutters and 
door of the room, in which I then was, to clatter. 
The fky was perfectly clear, and there was a very 
gentle and fcarcely-perceptibie gale at S.W. Thefe; 
four are the only fhocks, that I haive been fenfible of 
from the 1 8th of November laft to this date; tho’ 
more are faid to have been felt in other parts of the. 
country to the northward of us. 
As to the duration of the great fhock, people' 
have differed widely, viz. from i ' to 6 or 7. Oar 
printed accounts have generally fixed it to about 2 ', or 
3 at the moft ; but as thefe were only the uncertain 
gueffes of perfons, who had no rule to guefs bv, no 
dependence can be had on them. I am well fatif- 
fied, that with us it continued 4', .or rather 4' i-half, 
taking in the whole of the time, from the firfl agi- 
tation of the earth till it .was become perfectly quiet;, 
tho’ the violence of the fhock did not laft above half 
fo long. This l am affured of, partly from the obfer- 
vations of fome gentlemen, who were up, and looked 
on their watches, when it began and ended ; one of 
whom tells me it was 4', and another, that it was.- 
near 5; and partly from my own obfervations, which 
were as follow. The preceding noon I had adjufted. 
both my clock and watch to the apparent time, by' 
a meridian line.;, and the following noon I found, 
that the watch had kept time exadtly. Being awaked 
by the earthquake, I lay till, the violence of it feemed, 
to be over for the fecond time, the firfl abatement 
happening juft after I waked. Till then I forbore to 
rife, becaule the agitation was fo vehement, that I 
concluded it would"be difficult, if not impracticable, 
to 
4 
