My own travels in the western parts of the states of Pennsylvania, Virginia, New-York, &c., had made me well acquainted with the fact, that the strata of limestone, slate, freestone, coal, iron-ore, &c., are very generally disposed in a horizontal direction in those parts of the country; while, in the Atlantic district, the strata of the same materials are very seldom horizontally arranged, but, on the contrary, are disrupted, "and, as it were, jumbled together by violence."

Having become acquainted with the fact, I began to speculate upon it. Professor Williams's paper on the Earthquakes of New-England*, to which I referred Mr. Volney, solicited much of my attention. From this paper, I learned, that the principal line of direction of those earthquakes had been from the north-west to the south-east. I had, moreover,

* Observations and Conjectures on the Earthquakes of NewEngland. See Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Vol. I. Part II. No. VIII.

"Another thing observable in the earthquakes of New-EngJand is, they have all gone in much the same course. As to two or three of the earthquakes, we have no account of their course: but in all those in which it was determined, there is a very great agreement. They are all described as coming from about northwest, and going off about south-east. As this was the case with all whose direction was observed, we may rationally conclude, that they all proceeded in pretty much the same general track; in a path from about north-west to south-east, though with many small deviations and irregularities, in particular places." Memoirs, &c. p. 281.

learned, that the Indian inhabitants residing in that part of the western country where the horizontal strata most abound (on the waters of the Ohio, &c.), though many of these tribes were known to have resided in the country, for a very considerable period of time, preserved no memorials of the existence of earthquakes in their country, and had even no word for the phenomenon in their languages; "while (to use Mr. Volney's words) equivalent terms are common and familiar in the dialects of the east.”

I now thought it highly probable, that it would be easy to explain the difference in the disposition of the eastern and the western strata, by calling to our aid the courses of the American earthquakes. I even composed an extensive memoir on the subject, which was shown to the late Mr. Rittenhouse, Mr. Volney, and other gentlemen.

I should hardly have thought it worth noticing, in this place, the primordia of this theory, if I did not now possess facts, which convince me, that it is entirely unfounded. I cannot, at present, attempt to point out the feeble parts of this system. This will be done, at large, in another place. It will be suffi cient to observe here, that earthquakes can be shown to have pervaded many of those parts of the continent, in which the horizontal arrangement of the strata is almost an universal feature of the country.

Of these western earthquakes I shally slightly notice two, in this place.

The first of them is thus spoken of by Mr. John Heckewelder, in answer to a set of queries, which I had sent him. His letter is dated December 23d, 1795.

"Coshachking, which was, for many years, the seat of government of the Delaware-Indians, was situated on the south-east side of Muskingum-River, exactly opposite to the mouth of White Woman'sCreek (or the great Forks of Muskingum). I lived, at the time the earthquake was perceived, about two miles lower down this river, and in a southerly direction. I am not positive from what quarter the earthquake came. It came quick, and was but of short duration. I well remember, however, that on its beginning, the house was raised on the east side. The dead-thundering noise, which appeared to be under ground, followed (to the best of my recollection) the shock. This dead-like sound was in a southerly direction from the place where I was, and (as I supposed) scarcely a mile distant from me. However, as this sound was in the same direction the river ran, it might have been at a greater distance.

"This whole country abounds with coal-mines, many visible above ground.

"I did not perceive, that this earthquake occasioned any visible alteration in the strata of stone. There is not much stone in this country; and where there are stones I always thought them borizontal, except on one part of the river (Muskingum), where there

are high steep hills, covered with stone, and, to ap pearance, these lie in every, the most irregular, direction."

The other earthquake occurred at the Falls of Niagara, on the 26th of December, 1796, about six o'clock in the morning. It seemed to proceed from the north-west, and did not last more than two seconds. But it was sensibly felt for fifty miles around the Falls. A particular account of this earthquake will be gladly received by

THE EDITOR.

SUPPLEMENT.

The following facts, &c., in addition to the above, may, with some propriety, be introduced in this place. They are copied from the manuscripts of the late Mr. John Bartram.

In a letter, dated July the 18th, 1750, he says, "We have had, within these thirty years, four earthquakes. One of them, about twelve years ago*, was felt about eleven o'clock at night. It shook our

* Professor Williams does not mention any earthquakes as occurring about the year 1738, nearly corresponding to the time Mr. Bartram speaks of. The Professor observes, however, that there had been some small shocks" between 1732 and 1744, when "there was an earthquake, so considerable, as to be generally felt through the province." Memoirs, &c. p. 270.

I

The

houses, so as to rock the chairs, tables, and chests of drawers, and affrighted some of our women. others seemed like thunder at a distance, or a hollow rumbling in the ground. If the observations of some people hold good, we may expect another soon*; for we have now the driest season that, I believe, ever was known. The ground near us has not been wet plough-deep, since the beginning of March. Our spring was extremely dry, windy, and cold; and since June, the weather has been very hot and dry. Our fields have no more grass in them than in the midst of winter; and the meadow-ground, that used to bear two good crops, has no more grass than the middle of the street, both root and branch being scorched as with fire; and the ground is as dry as dust, two feet deep. The very briers are withering, and the fruit upon them appearing scorched, and drying up. Our springs have failed, and the runs dried up. Yet, notwithstanding this extraordinary drought, we have rarely been without rain for five days, since March; and during the winter we were not so long without snow, though we had but three snows that staid long with us, all the winter: most of the rest would hardly cover the ground. Thus, in the sum

* I cannot find, however, that any earthquake was felt about this time. From 1744 to 1755, no mention is made by Professor Williams of any earthquake in the colonies. In the month of November of this year, an earthquake "the violence" of which "was the greatest of any we have ever had in the country (Williams, p. 272)," was felt, and its influence extended to Pennsylvania, and even farther south. EDItor.