534 
DRR. T. AXDERSOX AXD J. S. FLETT OX THE ERUPTTOXS OF THE 
In 1880 there were symptoms of activity at the Soufriere of St. Vincent, and an 
outl)urst occurred in Dominica on January 4th.* Many earthquakes were felt 
about that time along the chain of the Greater Antilles. On January 22nd there 
were several shocks in Havana; others were felt in Cienfuegos, San Diego, and 
Santiago, and the town of San Cristohal was almost destroyed.! From December 21st, 
1879, to January 10th, 1880, there was seismic disturbance in San Salvador, and on 
February 5th several earthquakes were reported from Mexico.^ 
The eruption of Montague Pelee in 1851 was perhaps connected with the great 
earthquake which shook Chili on April 2nd of that year.§ 
Humboldt lias given many interesting facts to confirm his hypothesis that 
earthquakes and volcanic activity in this region go hand in hand. In 1692 Port 
Royal, in Jamaica, was destroyed, and the volcano of St. Kitts was in eruption. In 
1766 there was a violent earthquake in Cumana, Venezuela, and many shocks were 
felt in Jamaica, Trinidad, and the Lesser Antilles. Qualibou, in St. Lucia, burst 
into activity. In 1796 there was a tremendous earthquake in Quito. On 
December 14th, 1797, the town of Cumana (Venezuela) was razed by a terrible 
shock. On September 27th, 1796, an eruption took place in Guadeloupe. In 1800, 
1801, and 1802 many earthquakes were felt in Maracaibo, Porto Cabello, and Caracas, 
and in February, 1802, volcanic activity broke out in Guadeloupe. |i 
The connection between earthquakes and volcanic activity is further emphasised 
by the fact that in Guatemala a violent earthquake took place on April 18th, 1902, 
just before Montague Pelee began to emit steam. This earthquake was recorded on 
the seismographs in the Isle of Wight.^ It was most severe in western Guatemala, 
hut affected also Salvador and Honduras. Quezaltenango was destroyed, and about 
500 lives were lost, and extensive damage was done to the coffee and sugar 
plantations in all the surrounding district.'"''" 
Further earthquakes, attended by eruptions, followed in October, and the excep¬ 
tionally long duration of the disturbances in Martinique and St. Vincent during this 
year—to which there is no pmallel in the history of the Antilles—is to be ascribed 
to the continuance of crustal adjustments affecting the whole borders of the 
Caribbean Sea. 
* H. Alford Xicholls, ‘ Xature,’ vol. xxi., 1880, p. 372. 
t ‘Xature,’ vol. xxi., 1880, pp. 306 and 357. 
J ‘Xature,’ vol. xxi., 1880, p. 452. 
§ J. Milne, “ Seismological Observations and Earth Physics,” ‘ Geographical Journal,’ January, 
1903, vol. xxi., p. 14. 
|] Humboldt, ‘Personal Xarrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of the Xew Continent,’ 
vol. iv., chap. i. English Translation hy Mrs. tViLLiAMS. See also Professor Milxe, as above, 
‘Geographical Journal,’ vol. xxi., pp. 12-15, January, 1903. 
^ Professor J. Milne, ‘Xature,’ vol. IxH., p. 57. 
** Edwin Rockstroit, ‘ Xature,’ vol. Ixvi., p. 150 ; Karl Sapper, Petermann’s ‘ Mitteilungen,’ 
vol. xlviii., p. 193. 
