This was written some month
prior to this earthquake 6/13
89

Earthquakes in Northern China.

21

A glance at Chinese historical records reveals the fact that earthquakes have not been of infrequent occurrence in past centuries. In an old copy of the annals of Kalgan which has fallen into my possession, there are brief memoranda of calamities that have befallen the people from earthquakes, famines, floods, locusts, and so forth, from about the time of Christ to 1740, the close of the record.

In these annals I find twenty-four notices of earthquakes. The dates of these earthquakes may have interest to some of your readers. The record gives them as follows:

(晉朝) A.D. 290, 295, (唐朝) 753,

(宋朝) 1169, (元朝) 1323, 1335,

(明朝) 1400, 1450, 1506, 1521, 1525, 1534, 1546, 1582, 1616, 1627, (清朝) 1658, 1659, 1674, 1680, 1689, 1721, 1721, 1740.

Only in a few instances is there any statement of the severity of the earthquake. It is said of the first (290), that the earth opened, water poured forth, and lives were destroyed. On the occasion of the second (295), water poured forth, and over one hundred lives were destroyed. In 1169 the earthquake was severe, accompanied with wind and hail. It is recorded of several of the earthquakes that there was a succession of shocks. In 1582 the earthquake was accompanied by three rumbling sounds in succession. In 1616, and also in 1627, the accompanying sound was as that of thunder.

I have come upon several traces of the earthquake of 1680 in other books. Prof. Douglas, in his article on China in the *Britannica*, says of the reign of K'ang-hsi : "Almost the only national misfortune that visited China while he sat upon the throne was an earthquake in Peking, in which 400,000 people are said to have perished." This reference is to the earthquake of 1680. I am not aware of the source of his information. I find in the *Tung Hua Lu* (東華錄) a notice of this earthquake which confirms the above statement of its severity. On account of the earthquake the Emperor called upon his high officials to examine the affairs of government, to discover the cause of the calamity. He distributed from his private treasury Tl.s.100,000 to those whose houses had been destroyed, or who had themselves been injured. The extent of loss of life and property is not stated. It is further said, that the cause of the earthquake was the fire which occurred in the year 1680. The Emperor went in person to pray at the Altar of Heaven. I also find a number of references to this earthquake in the annals of T'ung Chou. The Drum-tower, standing in the centre of the city, was cast down, also the examination hall in the northern part of the city; and also the little temple standing on the south-east corner of the city wall. It would naturally be expected that the Pagoda would be the first structure to bow its head at this great convulsion of nature, but I fail to find any statement to the effect that it was disturbed by the shocks. It had but recently been put in thorough repair, and its deep foundations were not broken up.

D.Z.Sheffield