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down, while the walls of numbers of the houfes 
were rent. The Franks, and many of the natives, 
have deferted the city, and remain in the fields. 
At Seidon, great part of the Frank kane was over- 
thrown, and fome of the Europeans narrowly efcaped 
with their lives. Acri and Latakea have fuffered 
little, befides rents in fome of the walls : but Saphet 
(eight hours from Acri) was totally deftroyed, toge- 
ther with the greater part of the inhabitants. 
Such are the moft authentic accounts we have 
from abroad ; how much they contribute to calm the 
minds of the people at Aleppo, you may eafily ima- 
gine. Since the afternoon of the a 8th, feveral flight 
ihocks have been every day felt, and many more 
formed by the power of imagination : for my own 
part, 1 have fince that time perceived none, except- 
ing one the evening of the 5th, which was pretty 
fixong, but lafted not above twenty feconds. The 
weather, for thefe two days, has been gloomy and 
rainy ; a change which people are willing to flatter 
themfelves is favourable. It often lightens in the 
night, and thunder is heard at a great diftance. 
ExtraEi from another Letter of Dr. Patrick 
Ruffell, to Dr. Alexander Ruflell, dated 
at Aleppo, 29 March 1760. 
TN my lafl:, of the 7th of December, I gave you a full 
account of the earthquakes, which have occafioned 
an univerfal panic all over Syria. There were feveral 
other fhocks in December, and a few very flight ones 
in January : fince which time, all has been quiet. 
Z z z 2 Except- 
