700 Earthquakes and Electricity, [December, 
the existence of the force of electricity, it is by no means 
unreasonable that the frequent occurrence of earthquakes 
immediately after a period of sultry atmospheric calm should 
have originated the idea suggested in the first sentence, that 
they were caused by the bursting forth of the imprisoned 
winds. (After all, who knows even now but that winds may 
in some respeCt be due to electrical aCtion ?) 
In modern times it would appear that Dr. Stukeley was 
the first person who advanced the view that earthquakes 
were probably caused by electricity. This was on the occa- 
sion of the earthquakes that happened in 1749 and 1750, at 
London and at Daventry (in Northamptonshire) respectively. 
Stukeley’s papers were read before the Royal Society on 
March 22nd, 1749, and on December 2nd, 1750. He shows 
that during these years thunder, lightning, aurorse, and 
meteors had been remarkably prevalent throughout England, 
and the whole of his arguments are well worthy of study. 
But whilst Stukeley was thus urging this theory a philo- 
sopher in the South of Europe was at the same time, and 
without any knowledge of Stukeley’s labours, proceeding on 
the same course. This southern physicist was a native of 
Turin and a Roman Catholic priest. His name was Giam- 
battista Beccaria. In 1753 he wrote “ Dell Elettricismo 
artificial e naturale,” and in 1758 “ Lettere dell Elettri- 
cismo.” If the theory of the electrical origin of earthquakes 
should ever gain acceptance it is to this great man that the 
honour should be awarded. Of him the following remark- 
able testimony is given by his contemporary, the well-known 
Dr. Priestley : — “ All that was done by the French and 
English electricians with respeCt to lightning and electricity 
fell far short of what was done by Signor Beccaria at Turin ” 
(Hist., 315). Again, in regard to experiments made by 
savants for ascertaining the electricity in the air, “ Signor 
Beccaria made, however, the most extensive and accurate 
experiments on this subject ” (Hist., 338). And again, in 
connection with the heterodox views of Mr. Wilson regard- 
ing pointed lightning-rods, he alludes to Signor Beccaria as 
one “ whose observations and experience with respeCt to 
lightning give a weight to his opinion superior to that of any 
man whatever ” (Hist., 373) : and this he writes at a time 
(1775) when Benjamin Franklin was, so to speak, in the 
zenith of his physical fame. Beccaria appears to have made 
experiments and researches on terrestrial electricity for a 
period of some twenty-five or thirty years, and he became 
firmly rooted in the belief that not only were lightning- 
strokes (or thunderbolts) due to the earth’s electricity, but 
