minutes. At Cadiz, some minutes after nine in the morning, the earthquake began, and lasted about five The water of the cisterns under ground washed backwards and forwards, so that a great froth arose. At ten minutes after eleven, a wave was seen coming from the sea, at eight miles distance, at least sixty feet higher than usual. It dashed against the west part of the town, which is very rocky. Though these rocks broke a great deal of its force, it at last came upon the city walls, beat in the breast-work, and carried pieces of the building of eight or ten ton weight to the distance of forty or fifty yards. When the wave was gone, some parts that are deep at low water, were left quite dry; for the water returned with the same violence with which it came. At half an hour after eleven came a second wave, and after that four other remarkable ones; the first at ten minutes before twelve, the second half an hour before one; the third ten minutes after one; and the fourth ten minutes before two. Similar waves, but smaller, and gradually lessening, continued with uncertain intervals till the evening. At Gibraltar, the earthquake was not felt till after ten. It began with a tremulous motion of the earth, which lasted about half a minute. Then followed a violent shock; after that, a trembling of the earth for five or six seconds; then another shock was not so violent as the first, which gradually went off as it began. The whole lasted about two minutes. Some of the guns on the battery were seen to rise, others to sink, the earth having an undulating motion. Most people were seized with giddiness and sickness, and some fell down; others were stupefied; and many that were walking or riding felt no motion in the earth, but were sick. The sea rose six feet every fifteen minutes; and then fell so low, that boats and all the small craft near the shore were left aground, as were also numbers of small fish. The flux and reflux lasted till next morning, having decreased gradually from two in the afternoon. At Madrid, the earthquake came on the same time as at Gibraltar, and lasted about six minutes. In Africa, the earthquake was felt almost as severely as it had been in Europe. Great part of the town of Algiers was destroyed. At Arzilla (a town in the kingdom of Fez), about ten in the morning, the sea suddenly rose with such impetuosity, that it lifted up a vessel in the bay, and dropped it with such force on the land, that it was broke to pieces; and a boat was found two musketshots within land from the sea. At Fez and Mequinez, great numbers of houses fell down, and a multitude of people were buried in the ruins. At Morocco, by the falling down of a great number of houses, many people lost their lives: and at Salle, a great deal of damage also was done. At Tangier, the earthquake began at ten in the morning, and lasted ten or twelve minutes. At Tetuan, the earthquake began at the same time, but lasted only seven or eight minutes. There were three shocks so extremely violent, that it was feared the whole city would be destroyed. In the city of Funchal, in the island of Madeira, a shock of this earthquake was first perceived at thirty-eight minutes past nine in the morning. It was preceded by a rumbling noise in the air, like that of empty carriages passing hastily over a stone pavement. The observer felt the floof immediately to move with a tremulous motion, vibrating very quickly. The shock continued more than a minute; during which interval, the vibrations, though continual, were weakened and increased in force twice very sensibly. The increase after the first remission of the shock was the most intense. The noise in the air accompanied the shock during the whole of its continuance, and lasted some seconds after the motion of the earth had ceased; dying away like a peal of distant thunder rolling through the air. At three quarters past eleven, the sea, which was quite calm, being a fine day, and no wind stirring, retired suddenly some paces; then rising with a great swell without the least noise, and as suddenly advancing, overflowed the shore, and entered the city. It rose fifteen feet perpendicularly above the high-water mark, although the tide, which flows there seven feet, was then at half ebb. The water immediately receded; and after having fluctuated four or five times between high and low water-mark, it subsided, the sea remaining calm as before. In the northern part of the island the inundation was more violent, and the sea there retiring above one hundred paces at first, and suddenly returning, overflowed the shore, forcing open doors, breaking down the walls of several magazines and storehouses, leaving great quantities of fish ashore, and in the streets of the village of Machico. All this was the effect of one rising of the sea, for it never afterwards flowed high enough to reach the high-water mark. It continued, however, to fluctuate here much longer before it subsided than at Funchal; and in some places farther to the westward, it was hardly, if at all, perceptible. These were the phænomena with which this remarkable earthquake was attended in those places where it was violent. The effects of it, however, reached to an immense distance; and were perceived chiefly by the agitations of the waters, or some slight motion of the earth. The urmest boundaries of this earthquake to the south are unknown; the barbarity of the African nations rendering it impossible to procure any intelligence from them, except where the effects where dreadful. On the north, however, we are assured, that it reached as far as Norway and Sweden, In the former, the waters of several rivers and lakes were violently agitated. In the latter, shocks were felt in several provinces, and all the rivers and lakes were strongly agitated, especially in Dalecarlia. The river Dala suddenly overflowed its banks, and as suddenly retired. At the same time a lake at the distance of a league fjon it, and which had no manner of communication with it, bubbled up with great violence. At Fahlun, a town in Dalecariia, several strong shocks were felt. At In many places of Germany the effects of the earthquake were very perceptible; but in Holland, the agitations were still more remarkable. Alphen on the Rhine, between Leyden and Woeden, in the afternoon of the first of November, the waters were agitated to such a violent degice, that buoys were broken from their chains, large vessels snapped their cables, smaller ones were thrown out of the water upon the land, and others lying on land were set afloat. At Amsterdam, about 11 in the forenoon, the air being perfectly calm, the waters were suddenly agitated in their canals, so that several boats broke loose; chandeliers were observed to vibrate in the churches; but no motion of the earth, or concussion of any building, was observed. At Haerlem, in the forenoon, for near four minutes together, not only the water in the rivers, canals, &c. but also all kinds of fluids in smaller quantities, as in coolers, tubs, back, &c. were surprisingly agitated, and dashed over the sides, though no motion was perceptible in the vessels themselves. In these small quantities also the fluid apparently ascended prior to its turbulent motion; and in many places, even the rivers and canals rose 12 inches perpendicularly. The agitation of the waters was also perceived in various parts of Great Britain and Ireland. At Barlborough in Derbyshire, between 11 and 12 in the forenoon, in a boat-house, on the west side of a large body of water called Pibley Dam, supposed to cover at least thirty acres of land, was heard a surprising and terrible noise; a large swell of water came in a current from the south, and rose two feet on the sloped dam-head at the north end of the water. It then subsided; but returned again immediately, though with less violence. The water was thus agitated for three quarters of an hour; but the current grew every time weaker and weaker, till at last it entirely ceased. At Busbridge in Surrey, at half an hour after 10 in the morning, the weather being remarkably still, without the least wind, in a canal near 700 feet long, and 58 feet broad, with a small spring constantly running through it, a very unusual noise was heard at the east end, and the water there observed to be in great agitation. It raised itself in a heap or ridge in the middle; and this heap extended lengthwise about 30 yards, rising between two or three feet above the usual level. After this, the ridge heeled or vibrated towards the north side of the canal with great force, and flowed above eight feet over the grass walk on that side. On its return back into the canal, it again ridged in the middle, and then heeled with yet greater force to the south side, and flowed over its grass walk. During this latter motion, the bottom on the north side was left dry for several feet. This appearance lasted for about a quarter of an hour, after which the water became smooth and quiet as before. During the whole time the sand at the bottom was thrown up and mixed with water; and there was a continual noise like that of water turning a mill. At Cobham in Surrey, Dunstall in Suffolk, Earsy Court in Berkshire, Eatonbridge in Kent, and many other places, the waters were variously agitated. At Eyam-bridge, Derbyshire, (in the Peak) the overseer of the lead mines sitting in his writingroom about 11 o'clock, felt a sudden shock, which very sensibly raised him up in his chair, and caused several pieces of plaster to drop from the sides of the room. The roof was so violently shaken, that he imagined the engine shaft had been falling in. Upon this he immediately ran to see what was the matter, but found every thing in perfect safety. At this time two miners were employed in carting, or drawing along the drifts of the mines, the ore and other materials to be raised up at the shafts. The drift in which they were working was about 120 yards deep, and the space from one end to the other 50 yards or upwards. The miner at the end of the drift had just loaded his cart and was drawing it along; but he was suddenly surprised by a shock, which so terrified him, that he immediately quitted his employment, and ran to the west end of the drift to his partner, who was not less terrified than himself. They durst not attempt to climb the shaft, lest that should be running in upon them: but while they were consulting what means they should take for their safety, they were surprised by a second shock more violent than the first; which frightened them so much, that they both ran precipitately to the other end of the drift. They then went down to another miner who worked about 12 yards below them. He told them' that the violence of the second shock had been so great, that it caused the rocks to grind one upon another. His account was interrupted by a third shock, which, after an interval of four or five minutes, was succeeded by a fourth; and, about the same space of time after, by a fifth; none of which were so violent as the second. They heard, after every shock, a loud rumbling in the bowels of the earth, which continued about half a minute, gradually decreasing, or seeming to remove to a greater distance. At Shireburn castle, Oxfordshire, a little after ten in the morning, a very strange motion was observed in the water of a moat which encompasses the house. There was a pretty thick fog, not a breath of air, and the surface of the water all over the moat as smooth as a looking-glass, except at one corner, where it flowed into the shore, and retired again successively, in a surprising manner. In what manner it began to move is uncertain, as nobody observed the beginning of its motion. The flux and reflux, when seen, were quite regular. Every flood began gently; its velocity increased by degrees, when at last it rushed in with great impetuosity, till it bad attained its full height. Having remained for a little time stationary, it then retired, ebbing gently at first, but afterwards sinking away with great swiftness. At every flux, the whole body of water seemed to be violently thrown against the bank; but neither during the time of the flux nor that of the reflux did there appear even the least wrinkle of a wave on the other parts of the moat. Lord Parker, who had observed this motion, being desirous to know whether it was universal over the moat, sent a person to the other corner of it, at the same time that he himself stood about 25 yards from him, to examine whether the water moved there or At White Rock in Glamorganshire, about two hours ebb of the tide, and near three quarters after six in the evening, a vast quantity of water rushed up with a prodigious noise; floated two large vessels, the least of them above 200 tons; broke their moorings, drove them across the river, and had like to have overset them. The whole rise and fall of this extraordinary body of water did not last above ten minutes, nor was it felt in any other part of the river, so that it seemed to have gushed out of the earth at that place. Similar instances occurred at Loch Lomond and Loch Ness in Scotland. At Kinsale in Ireland, and all along the coast to the westward, many similar phenomena were observed. Shocks were also perceived in several parts of France; as at Bayonne, Bourdeaux, and Lyons; and commotions of the waters were observed at Angoulesme, Bleville, Havre de Grace, &c. but not attended with the remarkable circumstances above mentioned. These are the most striking phenomena with which the earthquake of November 1, 1755, was attended on the surface of the earth. Those which happened below ground cannot be known but by the changes observed in springs, &c. which were in many places very remarkable.-At Colares, on the afternoon of the 31st of October, the water of a fountain was greatly decreased: on the morning of the first of November it ran very muddy; and after the earthquake, returned to its usual state both as to quantity and clearness. On the hills numbers of rocks were split; and there were several rents in the ground, but none considerable. In some places where formerly there had been no water, springs burst forth, which continued to run-Some of the largest mountains in Portugal were impetuously shaken as it were from their foundation; most of them opened at their summits, split and rent in a wonderful manner, and huge masses of them were thrown down into the subjacent valleys.-From the rock called Pedra de Alvidar, near the hill Fojo, a kind of parapet was broken off, which was thrown up from its foundation in the sea.—At Varge, on the river Macaas, at the time of the earthquake, many springs of water burst forth, some spouted to the height of 18 or 20 feet, throwing up sand of various colours, which remained on the ground. A mountainous point, seven or eight leagues from St. Ube's, cleft asunder, and threw off several vast masses of rock. -In Barbary, a large hill was rent in two: the two halves fell different ways, and buried two large towns. In another place a mountain burst open, and a stream issued from it as red as blood. Tangier, all the fountains were dried up, so that there was no water to be had till night.-A very remarkable change was observed on the medicinal waters of Toplitz, a village in Bohemia famous for its baths. These waters were discovered in the year 762; from which time the principal spring of them had constantly thrown out hot water in the same quantity, and of the same quality. On the morning of the earthquake, between 11 and 12 in the forenoon, the principal spring cast forth such a quantity of water, that in the space of half an hour all the baths ran over. About half an hour before this great increase of the water, the spring flowed turbid and muddy; then having stopped entirely for a minute, it broke forth again with prodigious violence, driving before it a considerable quantity of reddish ochre. After this it became clear, and flowed as pure as before. It still continues to do so; but the water is in greater quantity, and hotter, than before the earthquake, At Angoulesme in France, a subterraneous noise like thunder was heard; and presently after the earth opened, and discharged a torrent of water mixed with red sand. Most of the springs in the neighbourhood sunk in such a manner, that for some time they were thought to be quite dry. In Britain, no considerable alteration was observed in the earth, except that, near the lead mine above-mentioned in Derbyshire, a cleft was observed about a foot deep, six inches wide, and 150 yards in length. At At sea, the shocks of this earthquake were felt most violently. Off St. Lucar, the captain of the Nancy frigate felt his ship so violently shaken, that he thought she had struck the ground; but, on heaving the lead, found she was in a great depth of water. Captain Clarke from Denina, in N. lat. 36. 24. between nine and ten in the morning, had his ship shaken and strained as if she had struck upon a rock, so that the seams of the deck opened, and the compass was overturned in the binnacle. The master of a vessel bound to the American islands, being in N. lat 25°. W. lon. 40°, and writing in his cabin, heard a violent noise, as he imagined, in the steerage; and while he was asking what the matter was, the ship was put into a strange agitation, and seemed as if she had been suddenly jerked up and suspended by a rope fastened to the mast-head. He immediately started up with great terror and astonishment; and looking out of the cabin window, saw land, as he took it to be, at the distance of about a mile. But coming upon the deck, the land was no more to be scen, but he perceived a violent current cross the ship's way to the leeward. In about a minute, this current returned with great impetuosity, and at a league's distance he saw three craggy-pointed rocks throwing up waters of various colours resembling fire. This phenomenon, in about two minutes, ended in a black cloud, which ascended very heavily. After it had risen above the hori zon, no rocks were to be seen; though the cloud, still ascending, was long visible, the weather being extremely clear.-Between nine and ten in the morning, another ship 40 leagues west of St. Vincent was so strongly agitated, that the anchors which were lashed, bounced up, and the men were thrown a foot and half perpendicularly up from the deck. Immediately after this, the ship sunk in the water as low as the main chains. The lead showed a great depth of water, and the line was tinged of a yellow colour, and smelt of sulphur. The shock lasted about ten minutes, but they felt smaller ones for the space of 24 hours. Such were the phenomena of this very remarkable and destructive earthquake, which extended over a tract of at least four millions of square miles. To explain the phenomena of earthquakes various hypotheses have been invented. Till lately, those of modern philosophers were much the same with those of the ancients. Anaxagoras supposed the cause of earthquakes to be subterraneous clouds bursting out into lightning, which shook the vaults that confined them. Others imagined, that the arches, which had been weakened by continual subterraneous fires, at length fell in. Others derived these accidents from the rarefied steam of waters heated by some neighbouring fires; and some, among whom was Epicurus, and several of the Peripatetic school, ascribed these terrible accidents to the ignition of certain inflammable exhalations. This last hypothesis has been adopted by many of the most celebrated moderns, as Gassendus, Kircher, Schottus, Varenius, Des Cartes, Du Hamel, Honorius, Fabri, &c. The philosopher last mentioned indeed supposed, that waters prodigiously rarefied by heat might sometimes occasion earthquakes. The others supposed, as their hypothesis necessarily requires, that there are many and vast cavities under ground which have a communication with one another: some of which abound with waters; others with vapours and exhalations, arising from inflammable substances, as nitre, bitumen, sulphur, &c. These combustible exhalations they supposed to be kindled by a subterraneous spark, or by some active flame gliding through a narrow fissure from without, or by the fermentation of some mixture; and when this happened they must necessarily produce pulses, tremors, and ruptures at the surface, according to the number and diversity of the cavities, and the quantity and activity of the inflammable matter. This hypothesis is illustrated by a variety of experiments, such as mixtures of iron-filings and brimstone buried in the earth, gunpowder confined in pits, &c. by all which a shaking of the earth will be produced. Though none of these hypotheses were sufficient for explaining the phenomena of earthquakes in a satisfactory manner, one or other of them continued to be adopted by almost all philosophers till the year 1749. In the month of March in that year, an earthquake was felt at London and several other places in Britain. Dr. Stukeley, who had been much engaged in electrical experiments, began to suspect that phenomena of this kind ought to be attributed not to vapours or fermentations generated in the bowels of the earth, but to electricity. In a paper published by him on this subject he rejects all the above-mentioned hypotheses for reasons which appear to be very convincing and decisive; and on comparing all circumstances, he concludes that an earthquake is a shock of the same kind as those which commonly occur in electrical experiments. This hypothesis indeed is much confirmed by the phenomena attending earthquakes; particularly those of 1749 and 1750 which gave rise to his publication. The weather, for five or six months before, had been uncommonly warm; the wind south and south-west, without rain; so that the earth must have been in a state peculiarly ready for an electrical shock. The flat county of Lincolnshire had been under an exceeding great drought. The uncommonness of the first of these circumstances, he remarks, is the reason why earthquakes are less frequently experienced in the northern than in the southern regions of the world, where the warmth and dryness of the air, so necessary to electricity, are more usual: and the latter shows how fit the dry surface was for an electrical vibration; and (which is of great importance) that earthquakes reach but little below the surface of the earth. Before the earthquake at London, all vegetables had been uncommonly forward; and electricity is well known to quicken vegetation. The aurora borealis had been frequent about that time; and just before the earthquake, had been twice repeated in such colours as had never been seen before. It had also removed southerly, contrary to what is common in England; so that the Italians, and those among whom earthquakes were frequent, actually fore. told the earthquake. The year had been remarkable for fire-balls, lightning, and coruscations; and these are rightly judged to be meteors of an electrical nature. In these circumstances of the earth and air, nothing, he says, is wanting to produce an earthquake, but the touch of some nonelectric body; which must necessarily be had ab extra from the region of the air or atmosphere. Hence he infers, that if a non-electric cloud discharge its contents upon any part of the earth, in that highly electrical state, an earthquake must necessarily ensue. As the discharge from an exciled tube produces a commotion in the human body, so the discharge of electric matter from the compass of many miles of solid earth must needs be an earthquake; and the snap from the contact, the horrid uncouth noise attending it. As to the manner in which the earth and atmosphere are put into this state, which prepares them to receive such a shock, and whence the electric matter comes, the doctor does not pretend to determine; but thinks it as difficult to be accounted for as magnetism, gravitation, and many other secrets of nature. The same hypothesis was advanced by Signor Beccaria, without knowing any thing of Dr. Stukeley's discoveries. But this learned Italian imagined the electric matter which occasions earthquakes to be lodged deep in the bowels of the earth, agreeably to his hypothesis concerning lightning. Dr. Priestley also, in his History of Electricity, contends for the agency of the electrical fluid in the production of earthquakes; and from the doctrines advanced by Stukeley and Beccaria, frames a third hypothesis of his own. All these, it is true, agree in the main; but if a particular solution of the phenomena is required, perhaps every one of them will be found deficient; nor shall we in this place, therefore, enter minutely into the arguments which each of these learned philosophers has brought in support of his opinion. Besides the earthquakes above described, of which the cause seems to depend particularly on a collection of electric matter in the bowels of the earth, there are others frequently felt in the neighbourhood of volcanos, which are plainly owing to the efforts of the burning matter to discharge itself. These however are but slight, and seldom extend to any considerable distance from the burning mountain. For a particular account of them, see the article VOLCANO. EARTHSHAKING. a. (eurth and shake.) Having power to shake the earth, or to raise earthquakes (Milton). EARTH-STOPPER, in fox-hunting, a man whose department is to visit and stop the strongest earths in the district intended to be hunted between the hours of ten at night and four in on the following day. This is usually effected the morning, by means of bushes, brambles, earth, &c. to furnish which he is provided with a hand-bill, spade, candle and lanthorn, a hardy rough poney, and terriers. It is also his business to re-open the earths after the sport of the day, that the foxes may not fall victims to other modes of destruction. 1. EARTHWORM. s. (earth and worm.) A worm bred under ground (Bacon). 2. A mean sordid wretch (Norris). EARTHWORM. Lambricus terrestris. Vermis terrestris. These reptiles are supposed to possess a diuretic and anti-spasmodic virtue, with which views they are occasionally employ ed in foreign countries. See LUMBRICUS. EARTHY. a. (from earth.) 1. Consisting of earth (Wilkins). 2. Partaking of earth; terrene (Milton). 3. Inhabiting the earth; terrestrial (Dryden). 4. Relating to earth (Dryden). 5. Not mental; gross; not refined (Shakspeare). EASE. s. (aise, French.) 1. Quiet; rest, undisturbed tranquillity (Davies). 2. Freedom from pain (Temple). 3. Rest after labour; intermission of labour (Swift). 4. Facility, not difficulty (Dryden). 5. Unconstraint; freedom from harshness, formality, or conceits (Pope). To EASE. v. a. (from the noun.) 1. To free from pain (Locke). 2. To assuage; to mitigate (Dryden). 3. To relieve from labour, or any thing that offends (Locke). EASEL, among painters, the frame on which the canvas is fixed, whereon portraits, landscapes, &c. are painted. EASEL-PIECES, a denomination given by painters to such pieces as are contained in frames, in contradistinction from those painted on ceilings, &c. EA'SEFUL. a. (ease and full.) Quiet; peaceable; fit for rest (Shakspeare). EA'SEMENT. s. (from ease.) Assistance; support; relief from expenses (Swift). EASEMENT, in law, a privilege or convenience which one neighbour has of another, whether by charter or prescription, without profit; such are a way through his lands, a sink, or the like. These, in many cases, may be claimed. EASILY. ad. (from easy.) 1. Without difficulty (Prior). 2. Without pain; without disturbance (Temple). 3. Reality; without reluctance (Dryden). EA'SINESS. s. (from easy.) 1. Freedom from difficulty (Tillotson). 2. Flexibility; compliance; readiness (Hooker). 3. Freedom from constraint; not effort; not formality (Rosc.). 4. Rest; tranquillity; ease (Ray). EASING, in the sea language, signifies the slackening of a rope, or the like: thus, to ease the bow-line or sheet, is to let them go slacker; to ease the helm, is to let the ship go more large, more before the wind, or more larboard. EAST, one of the four cardinal points of the world, being that point of the horizon where the sun is seen to rise when in the equinoctial. The word east is Saxon. It is frequently used to denote the regions of the world which lie easterly of Europe: as Tartary, China, &c. EAST INDIES. See INDIA. EAST INDIA COMPANY. See COMPANY. EASTER, a festival of the Christian church, observed in memory of our Saviour's resurrection. The Greeks call it pascha, (naaya) the Latins pascha, an Hebrew word (D) siguifying passage, applied to the Jewish feast of the passover. It is called Easter in English, from the goddess Eostre, worshipped by the Saxons with peculiar ceremonies in the month of April. The Asiatic churches kept their Easter upon the very same day the Jews observed their passover, and others on the first Sunday after the first full moon in the new year. This controversy was determined in the council of Nice: when it was ordained that Easter should be kept upon one and the same day, which should always be a Sunday, in all Christian churches in the world; namely, the Sunday which falls upon or after the first full-moon after March 21st, or the vernal equinox. In order to find Easter at any time, find the epact for the year proposed, and if it be less than 24 subtract it from 74; but if it be 24, it must be taken from 73 ; or if the epact be 24 and the golden number between 12 and 19, the epact must be taken from 73, and the remainder will be Easter limit, or the day of the paschal full moon. If the limit do not exceed 31, the day of the full moon will be in March; but if it exceeds 31, it will be in April; the Sunday after which full-moon will be Easter-day. To find Easter according to the New or Gre gorian Style, till the year 1900 exclusive. Gold. Paschal full Sund. Look for the golden number of the year in the first column of the table, against which stands the day of the paschal full moon; then look in the third column for the Sunday letter, next after the day of the full moon, and the day of the month standing against that Sunday let ter is Easter-day. When the full moon happens on a Sunday, then the next Sunday after is Easter-day. For example: for the year 1790, the golden number is 5; against which stands March the 30th, and the next Sunday letter, which is C, below that, stands opposite April 4, which is therefore the Easter-day for the year 1790. Though the Gregorian calendar be much preferable to the Julian, it is yet not without its defects. It cannot, for instance, keep the equinox fixed on the 21st of March, but it will sometimes fall on the 19th, and sometimes on the 23d. Add, that the full moon happening the 20th of March, might sometimes be pas chal; yet it is not allowed as such in the Gre gorian computation; as, on the contrary, the full moon of the 22d of March may be allowed for paschal, which it is not. |