[ 593 ] 
m South America, of eight or nine feet diameter, 
that had been thrown from the volcano Cotopaxi, by 
one of thefe blafts, to the diftance of more than 
* three leagues. 
54. If we fuppofe that thefe vapours, when pent 
up, are the caufe of earthquakes, we mull naturally 
expedt, from what has been juft laid, that the moll 
extenfive earthquakes fhould take their rife from the 
level and low countries ; but more efpecially from the 
lea, which is nothing elfe than waters covering fuch 
countries. Accordingly we find, that the great earth- 
quake of the ift November iyff, which was felt at 
places near three thoufand miles diftant from each 
other, took its rife from under the fea ; this is mani- 
feft, from that wave which accompanied it, as fhall 
be fhewn hereafter. The fame thing is to be under- 
wood of the earthquake that deftroyed Lima in the 
year 1746, which, it has been faid, was felt as far as 
Jamaica ; and, as it was more violent than the Lifbon 
earthquake, fo, if this be true, it mull, in all pro- 
bability, have been more extenfive alfo. There have 
been many other very extenfive earthquakes in South 
America: Acofta fays, that they have been often 
known to extend themfelves one, two, or three hun- 
dred, and fome even five hundred leagues, along the 
eoaft. Thefe have been generally, if not always, at- 
tended with waves from the fea 3 but any minuter 
* See Hift. and Philof. of Earthq. p. 19.5. Don Antonio d’Ulloa, 
an author of great veracity, fpeaking of the fame thing, fays, that 
w the whole plain [near Latacunga] is full of large pieces of rocks, 
<c fome of them thrown from the volcano Cotopaxi, by one of its 
ft eruptions, to the diftance of five leagues.” See his Voyage to 
Jew, part L book vi. chap, x. 
circum- 
