Year: 1868

Later and fuller details arc every day increasing
the interest with which scientific observers regard
the recent earthquakes and tidal disturbances and
confirming first impression that these commissions
of nature would prove to be among the most re-
markable and extensive of which there is any writ
ten record They have been experienced at short IN
tervas during the last three months and there is no
reason to suppose that have yet felt the last OF
them, the latest having been reported only week
ago. The shocks have followed no particular direc-
ton, and been confined to no particular quarter Of
the earth. Beginning in the middle Of the Pacific
Ocean, they seem to have affected oil its eastern
shores and its southern and western islands. and
then, skipping the whole breadth of the North Amer
can Continent and tho Atlantic Ocean, to have broken
out in Ireland. We may yet learn that the remoter
countries of Asia have likewise been shaken. The


first of this great series of commissions, far as our
intelligence extends, occurred IN tho Sandwich
Islands, eleven days before the terrible disaster in
Peru Violent shocks were felt in different parts of the
group from the I'd to the 9th of August accompanied
with heavy storms Of thunder and lightning. The
western coast of South America was devastated by
awful earthquakes from the 18th to the 10th OF Au-
gust and at the same time the shocks were felt again
i'm the Sandwich Islands though less severely than
before. On the nth there were shocks in New
Zealand About the middle of September shocks

about the lst of October they were experienced
again in the Sandwich Islands. In California they
were felt from the 2lst to the 25th with considerable
severity and were repeated slightly up TO the 9Th of
November On the 23d of October we hear of earth
quales in ireland. On tho 4th of November there
was one at Vancouver Island.


The tidal waves which have accompanied all the
most serious Of these convulsions peculiarly in
tcresting subjects Of study. 1t has been remarked
as an evidence of the rapidity with which they
travel that they reached the California coast as
early as the morning of the 14th Of August, having
moved a distance of 1000 miles in little more
than II hours; but now appears that thor speed Is
even greater than this, for they were felt in the
Sandwich Islands, nearly equal distance, on the
evening of the 18Th only JoT hours after the earth
quake in Peru lasting through the night, and obtain
ing their greatest force the next morning
almost simultaneously with their appearance
on the opposite California coast. Th
would give them velocity OF abou
n thousand miles an hour. They seem, however, no
to have been driven in more than one direction at
time. The Sandwich Islands lie northwest OF tn
place of disturbance in Peru Toward tho west an'
southwest. wo have no record Of tidal phenomena
earlier than the 18th of August when the waters o
Japan and Australia were simultaneously agtated II





either propagated by fresh conyulsons on tho Soutl
American const. or royusions from the disturbance
at the Sandwich Islands. We hayo no sufoien; dat
as yet for determining in what direction the waye
travelled or what their sizc or their velocity
We trust that the attention of competent observer
may have been drawn TO those points; for by menn
of them it would be possible to determine the deptl
Of the Pacific Ocean the size and velocity of wave
bearing. "A is well known fixed ratio TO the deptl
OF the water.


A great tidal wave fell upon Hawaii, ono OF TN
Sandwich Islands on the 18th of October destroyini
great many houses and other property. Accepting
the generally received theory that these phenomena
are caused by earthquakes we may expect intelli
gence Of another great calamity about that date II
some country bordering on the Pacific from whlcl
We have yet received no adyices But the disturb
ance may have arisen in tho bed Of the ocean. II
which ease, unless q stray sailing vessel CHANGED t
be within reach OF it no account Of tho phenomena
| may ever come 10 me-.