Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/632

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 * tuft, which does not pretend to teach any thing of the

' Matter. 4 For Inftanccs, we may quote LaBantius, and Augvftine ;

1 from Scripture, againft the Roundnefs of the Earth ,
 * the firft of whom render'd himfelf ridiculous by difputing,

The Earth, thus proved to move, it is to be further
 * and the latter, againft the Antipodes.' Sec Antipodes.

obferved, that the Altitude of the Pole being found at all Times of the Year, i. e. in all Points of its Annual Orbit, (the Ecliptic,) to be the fame ; it follows, that the Earth proceeds in fuch Manner along its Orbit, as that its Axis is conftantly parallel to the Axis of the World, and of Confequence parallel to it felf. See Axis.

This Motion, which Copernicus calls the Motion of Ti- tration, may be well enough illuftrated, by fuppofing a Globe, with its Axis parallel to that of the Earth, painted on the Flag, or Antient of a Mali, moveable on its Axis, and continually driven by the Weft Wind, while it makes the Tour of an Ilh.nd : 'Tis evident, that in every Si- tuation of the Ship, the Axis of the painted Globe will continue Parallel to the Axis of the World. See Libra- tion, and Parallelism.

According to Sir Ifaac Newton's Principles, the Earth's Axis does, in every annual Revolution, incline twice towards the Ecliptic, and twice return to its tormer Poiition. On which Nutation it is, that the Preceflion of the Equinoctial 'Points is fuppofed to depend ; and as Mr. F amftead like- wife imagines, the annual Parallax of the fix'd Stars like- wife. See Nutation, Precession, Parallax, c5V.

Earth, in Agriculture and Gardening. See Soil.

Untried Earth, i. c. the Soil, or Earth 6 or 7 Jnches deep, where neither Spade nor Plow has reach'd, is greatly recommended by Mr. Lawrence, for Amendments and Im- provements, both in the Fruit and Kitchen Garden. He alfuRs us, from his own Experience, that no Kind ot Compoft, made with Art, exceeds it. And adds, that if the choiceft Fruit-Trees be planted herein, they prefcntly difcover an uncommon Healthfulnefs and Vigour : Arid that if any tender Sorts of Annuals be difcreetly fown in this Earth, made fine by fitting, their Looks, Colour, eta foon difcover that they like the Soil. Melons and Cucum- bers, need no other Comport but this Untried Earth : And Afparagus it felf will profper, at leaft, as well in this Untried Earth, if laid a Foot and a half deep, as with all the ufual Expencc of Dung. Tho' tor the tenderer Flowers, and Exoticks, this Earth is not found to have any extraordinary Excellencies. For annual Plants, produced from Seed, a Coat of this Untried Earth, 2 Inches deep, may fuffi.ee : (Jn other Occaiions, a greater Depth is re- quired.

Fullers Earth, -\ •-Fullers Earth.

Soap Earth, / g a \Soai* Earth.

Seal'd Earth, f ■ *SSigillata 'Terra.

Tentniau5iK&-xii,&c.} (.Lemnian Earth, ckc.

EARTH-#4g\j, in Fortification, the fame with Canvas Sagi 5 which lee.

EA&TH-Flax. See Alumen Tlumofum.

EARTHING, in Agriculture and Gardening, the Co- vering of Vines, Sellery, and other Trees and Plants with Earth.

EARTHQUAKE, in Natural Hiftory, a vehement Shake, or Agitation of fome confiderable Place, or Part of the Earth ; from Natural Caufes 5 attended with a huge Noife like Thunder, and frequently with an Eruption of Water, or Fire, or Smoak, or Winds, &c.

Earthquakes are the greateft, and moil formidable Phenomena of Nature. Arijfotle, and Tliny, diftinguifh two Kinds, with Refpect to the Manner of the Shake, viz. a Tremor and a Tulfe ; the firft being horizontal, in alter- nate Vibrations, compared to the fliaking of a Perfon in an Ague. The 2d, perpendicular, up and down : Which latter Kind are alfo called by Ariftotle $&eattt 9 from the Rcfemblancc of their Motion to that of Boiling.

Agricola increafes the Number, and makes four Kinds ; which Alb. Magnus, again reduces to three, viz. Inclina- tion, when the Earth librates alternately from right to left; by which Mountains have been fometimes brought to meet, and claili againft each other: Sulfation, when it beats up and down like an Artery : And Trembling, when it fliakes and totters every Way, like a Flame.

Thsnomena of Earthquakes.

The <Philofoph. Tranfatl. furnifh us with Abundance of Hiftorics of Earthquakes-, Particularly, one at Oxford, in 146$, by Dr. Wallis and Mr. Boyle. Another, at the fame Place, in 1683, by yit.Tigot. And another in Sicily, in iV?a-p, by Mr. Hartop, Fa. Allejfandro Burgos, and Fin. Bona,]utus 5 which lafl, is one of the moll: terrible Ones in all Hiilory.

It fhook the whole Ifland 5 and not only that, but Naples and Malta fhared in the Shock. It was of the fecond

Kind mention'd by Ariftotle and Ttiny, viz. a perpendi- cular Pulfation, or Succuflion. It was impoflible, fays the Noble 'Bona'yutus, for any Body, in this Country, to keep on their Tegs, on the dancing Earth ; nay, thofe that lay on the Ground, were tofs'd from Side to Side, as on a rolling Billow : High Walls leapt from their Foundations feveral Paces, £?c. Thil. Tranf. N°. 207.

The Mifchief it did is amazing : almoft all the Build- ings' in the Countries were thrown down. Fifty four Cities and Towns, befide an incredible Number of Villages, were either deftroyed or greatly damaged. We /hall only in- ftance the Fate of Catanea, one of the mofl famous, antient, and flour i filing Cities in the Kingdom ; the Refidence of feveral Monarchs, and an Univerfity. This once famous, now unhappy Catanea, to ufe the Words of Fa. Burgos, had the greateft Share in the Tragedy. Fa. Anthon. Ser- rovita, being on his Way thither, and at the Diilance of a few Miles 5 obferved a black Cloud, like Night, hovering over the City ; and there arofe from the Mouth of Mon- gibello, great Spires of Flame, which fpread all around. The Sea all of a fudden begun to roar, and rife in Billows j and there was a Blow, as if all the Artillery in the World had been at once difcharged. The Birds new about allo- ni/h'd, the Cattle in the Fields ran crying, &c. FJis and his Companions Horfes ftop'd fhort, trembling 5 fo that they were forced to alight. They were no fooner off, but they were lifted from the Ground above two Palms y when calling his Eyes towards Catanea, he with Amaze- ment few nothing but a thick Cloud of Dull in the Air. This was the Scene of their Calamity: For of the magni- ficent Catanea, there is not the Iejft Footltcp to be ieen. S. Sonajutus aflures us, that of 1S914. Inhabitants, 18000 perifh'd therein. The fame Author, from a Computation of the Inhabitants, before and after the Earthquake, in the feveral Cities and Towns, finds that near tfoooo perifh'd out of 254900. Ibid. N°. 202.

Jamaica is remarkable for Earthquakes. The Inhabi- tants, Dr. Sloan informs us, expect one every Year. That Author gives us the Hiilory of one in 1687 : Ano- ther horrible one in 1692, is defcribed by feveral anonymous Authors. In two Minutes Time it fhook down and drown'd nine loths of the Town of Tort-Royal. The Houfes funk out-right, 50 or 40 Fathoms deep. Thil. Tranfatl. No. 209. The Earth opening, fwaliowed up People ; and they rofe in other Streets ; fume in the middle of the Harbour, and yet were faved ; Tho', there were 2000 Peo- ple loft, and icoo Acres of Land funk. All the Hou&s were thrown down thtoughout the Ifland. One Hopkins, had his Plantation removed half a Mile from, its Place. Of all Wells, from one Fathom to fix or feven, the Water flew out at the Top v. ith a vehement Motion. Ibid. ^Vhile the Houfes, on one Side of the Street were fwallow'd up, on the other they were thrown on Heaps ; and the Sand in the Street rofe like Waves in the Sea, lifting up every Body that flood on it, and immediately dropping down into Pits ; and at the fame Inftant, a Flood of Water breaking in, roll'd them over and over; fome catching hold of Beams and Rafters, &c. Ships and Sloops in the Harbour were overfet and loft ; the S-ivan Frigate particu- larly, by the Motion of the Sea, and finking of the Wharf; was driven over the Tops of many Houfes, Ibid. It was attended with a hollow rumbling Noife like that of Thun- der. In lefs than a Minute, three Quarters of the Houfes, and the Ground they flood on, with the Inhabitants, were all funk quite under Water - 7 and the little Part, left be- hind, was no better than a Heap of Rubbifh. The Shake was fo violent,, that it threw People down on their Knees, or their Faces, as they were running about for Shelter. The Ground heav'd and fwell'd like a rolling Sea ■ and feveral Houfes, ftUl ftanding, were fhuffled and moved fome Yards out of their Places. A whole Street is faid to be twice as broad now as before 5 and in many Places, the Earth would crack, and open, and fhut, quick and fall. Of which Openings, two or three Hundred might be feen at a Time, in fome whereof, the People were fwallow'd up ; others, the doling Earth caught by the middle, and prefs'd to Death ; in others, the Pleads only appear'd. The larger Openings fwallow'd up Houfes, and out of fome would iftue whole Rivers of Waters, fpouted up a great Height into the Air, and threat'ning a Deluge to that Part the Earthquake fpared. The whole was attend- ed with Stenches and offenfive Smells, the Noife of falling Mountains at a Diftancc, tSc. and the Sky, in a Minutes Time, was turned dull and reddifti, like a glowing Oven. Yet, a great Sufferer as Tort-Royal was, more Houfes were left ftanding thereon, than on the whole Ifland be- fide. Scarce a Planting Houfe, or Sugar Work was left Handing in all Jamaica. A great Part of them were fwallow'd up, Houfes, People, Trees and all at one Gape : In Lieu of which afterwards, appear'd great Pools of Water, which when dried up, left nothing but Sand, without any

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