Smyrna times., 1855-07-04
The Late Earthquakes and Eruptions.

Ii we were living in earlier age of the
world, when superstition held paramount sway
over the minds Of men, and when comets, EARTH
quakes, and other wonders of nature were con-
sdered to be warnings of :" lire events to come,"
we might be tempted to cite the late earth
quake of Broussa, the ancient capital of the
Turks, as portent toreshadowing the ruin and
dispersion OF the once mighty Othman race
But science teaches us that even if the destruc-
ton OF the great Moslem power should happen
the earthquake at Broussa will have been but
u coincidence, and not sign. From the ear
liest ages, the region where these commissions
OF nature have taken place, has been the scene
Of frequent earthquakes. Geologists tell US,
IN fact, that continuous volcanic district, be-
ginning east of the Caspian, extends westward
to Nesuvius, passing. through Asia Minor and
the Egean. An eruption of the great volcano
at Naples is generally, therefore, attended with
earthquakes IN Asia Minor, ust as it has been
now.
1t is a curious circumstance that this under
grown reservoir for the pent-up fires seems to
run in two distinct channels, one taking the
course we have described, the other passing
south through Syria and terminating at Etna.
History teaches that when the latter noun
tain is active Vesuvius is silent, and vice versa,
An eruption OF Etna, moreover, is usually at
tended with earthquakes in Syria, while earth
quakes in Asia Minor, are almost universally
significant Of an eruption at Eesuyius. Never,
we believe, have Syria and Asia Minor been
convulsed simultaneously. The centre of the
great OscEating earth wave, when the convul-
sion takes the northern channel, is usually found
near BrOussa, which has consequently always
been liable to earthquakes. The whole region
indeed, is one of frequent disturbance. Con-
stantlnople has been visited continually by
earthquakes, so that there is scarcely mosque
in it which is not cracked. y vague tradl-
ton, but not necessarily on untrustworthy one,
records that the Bosphorus itself was the work
OF an earthquake; and that the Black Sea, the
"apple of dlscord " in the present war, was
once an inland ocean, like the Caspian is now.
If the axis, SO to speak, Of this late earth
wave had been hundred or two miles to the
northeast of Broussa, the Oriental war might
have come to a strange conclusion. Between
the of Azoff' and the Caspian lies a ridge of
slightly elevated land, which, if it is ever de-
pressed by an earthquake, like the coast of
Chill has been within the memory of man, will
pour the waters of the first sea into those of
the last, and thence over the great plain Of
Central Asia, which lies lower as is well known
than the level Of the Azot. This would cre-
dLe Il Current from tne DldCh oed llLO the AZOH
and from the Mediterranean into the Black
Sea and the rush of waters would continue
until the low plains of middle Asia would be
covered with a shallow sea to the level of the
Atlantic. Such an event would place bar
rier between Russia and India infinitely more
potent than armies. The thing, indeed, may
never happen but, as we have seen, it is far
from being improbable; indeed, many geolO-
gists think it came nearer being realized du-
ring these late earthquakes, than the Allies
are 10 taking Sevastopol-.Ledger.
NATIVE AFRICANs.-A number of native
CongOes-real Guinea negroes-arrived in Sa-
| lem, Massachusetts, few days ago. The Ga
=ctte says:
They had managed to acquire considera-
BILE knowledge of English. and reply of one
of them to a questloner, displayed a shrewd-
ness werth mentioning. A spectator happen
ed, among other queries, to ask how they liked
America Congo Immediately answered: 'Ah,
me no like Merlcan land-cOld morning, cold
night, make nose leak like a basket The
crowd shouted, and Congo showing his ivory,
tumbled into the ships boat to be conveyed to
the vessels side."