3 (>4< Dr. Gray's Account of the Earthquake 
“ on the margin of the cloud so intense a light, and that to 
ee so great an extent along it. For these reasons, I was fully 
“ persuaded that this luminous appearance was occasioned by 
“ electric light, with which I concluded the cloud to be highly 
“ charged. We went down stairs to dine, and returned again 
“ to this room about eight o'clock, to pass the evening ; I then 
“ looked again at the sky ; every extraordinary appearance 
“ had now vanished, the night was dark and gloomy, the air 
“ quite calm and mild. At between twenty and twenty-five 
“ minutes after eleven o'clock, we were all extremely sur- 
“ prised and alarmed at a sudden blast, (so I should term it, 
“ rather than explosion, because it had not that sharp, com- 
“ pressed elastic tone I annex to the idea of an explosion,) 
“ which burst out instantaneously, somewhat below the ze- 
“ nith, to the west ; and, as I conjectured from the direction 
“ in which the sound was heard, seemed to rush through the 
“ air towards the east with great velocity, and to meet with 
“ considerable resistance to its motion ; for it made a wliiz- 
“ zing noise as it passed over us. At the instant the blast 
“ burst out, it was accompanied with a very loud, deep-toned, 
“ hollow, sullen sound, not altogether unlike a deep groan. 
“ We were all amazed at this hideous noise ; some thought 
“ the window of the great room (that in the centre tower over 
te the hall) had fallen in : every one of us thought some bad 
“ accident must have happened to some part of the building. 
“ While we were all forming our various conjectures, I, who 
“ sat close to the wall, (a north wall,) leaning with my arm 
“ and shoulder on the surbase, felt myself shoved from it, and 
“ my chair shaken under me, with a very quick tremulous 
motion. All the company (eight or ten) felt the same 
