ON THE RECENT RIVIERA EARTHQUAKE. 
241 
ON THE RECENT RIVIERA EARTHQUAKE.* 
BY W. P. MARSHALL, M.I.C.E. 
This terribly sudden catastrophe, on 23rd February last, 
by which more than 1000 lives were lost, and a great number 
of buildings destroyed, was of special interest because the 
locality where it occurred is a favourite resort for visitors 
from this country, and many here had personal triends who 
experienced some of the effects of the earthquake. I happen 
to have had some friends there at the time, two parties in 
different places, from whom interesting particulars have been 
received of their personal experiences of this earthquake, 
which so rudely disturbed the charming calm retreat of the 
Riviera. That favourite place being the resort of invalids 
for winter quarters on the mild shores of the Mediterranean 
made the occurrence specially distressing, and terrible suffer¬ 
ings were caused to many invalids by their being suddenly 
turned out of doors by the destruction of the buildings in 
which they were staying. Although earthquakes have been 
experienced there before, three others having occurred in the 
district within the present century, in 1818, 1831, and 1854, 
these were only comparatively slight in amount, and no 
apprehension of such a calamity as the recent earthquake 
was entertained. 
The Riviera (the name signifying “ shore” in Italian) is 
a long narrow strip of shore, at the foot of a mountainous 
district that extends down so close to the sea as to leave only 
a narrow strip with precipitous cliffs and deep ravines, which 
is occupied by a succession of towns and villages, extending 
for about seventy miles distance from Cannes to Alassio, and 
in the more closely populated portion lying at only three or 
four miles distance from one another. In the fifty miles 
further distance on to Genoa is the celebrated “ Cornice 
Road ” with its lovely views of sea and mountain, and about 
ninety miles in the other direction we reach Marseilles. 
The line of railway runs close along the shore most of the 
way from Marseilles to Genoa and on to Leghorn, that being 
the only passage available at the foot of the mountainous 
district. 
* Transactions of the Birmingham Natural History and Micros¬ 
copical Society, Geological Section, read May 17th, 1887. 
