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LETTER XXL 
An Account of the 'Earthquake felt in New York, 
Novem. i8, i/ff, in a Letter from Cadwallader 
Colden, Efq'i to Mr» Peter Collinfon, F. R. S, 
Decern. 9, 1755. 
Read Mar. N the 1 8 th of laft November, a few 
17 s • minutes paft four in the morning, 
I was awaked with the fhock of an earthquake, 1 
felt the bed under me, and the houfe, fliaking, in 
fuch a manner as to alarm me greatly. I plainly 
heard the noife like that of carts on pavements, go- 
ing to the eaftward, with now and then a noife like 
the explofion of a great gun at a diflance. It was 
felt about four a clock at Philadelphia, and half af- 
ter four at Bofton, and was more violent to the eaft- 
ward than the weftward; and there was an eruption 
' at a place called Scituate, about twenty or thirty 
miles to the fouthward of Bofton. 
We have had the drieft fummer and autumn that 
ever was known ; for fome days before the earth- 
quake, though the fky was perfedlly calm and fe- 
rene, the air was fo light, that the fmoke of the town 
by falling down was oftenftve to our eyes, as we 
walked the ftreets ; and my watch, for fome time be- 
fore it, went unufually flow. 
In the laft remarkable earthquake, which happen- 
ed about feventeen years ago, and nearly at the 
fame time of year, the weather preceding it was 
much the fame as now, attended with the falling of 
the fmoke in the town. 
8 
LET- 
