Page:Great Neapolitan Earthquake of 1857 Vol 2.djvu/234

Rh base, to warrant as yet the assertion of its generality, is one altogether distinct from, the innumerable fancied connections between disturbance of a meteorological character, close to or along with earthquakes, in point of time, which form the subject of popular belief in all seismic countries, in one shape or another, as causative events. Most of these have been long since discussed by Von Hoff and others and disposed of.

It is equally distinct from any questions, as to meteorological phenomena or perturbations, resulting from the earthquake itself, as a cause, such as the unusual light mentioned in this report, &c., some of which have an undoubted reality, and have been discussed by several writers, as well as by myself ('Reports, Facts of Earthquakes, British Association Transactions') at a former period.

The probability of a connection, between rainfall and earthquake development, rests however, upon a wider base, than that of the facts adduced respecting the shock of December, 1857.

A like connection, though not with the evidence due to accurate meteorological tables, has been recorded in reference to several other earthquakes of this region. Thus, Grimaldi, in his account of the Calabrian shock of 1783, describing the weather of the year before, says: "L'esta nella Calabria ulteriore fu Secchissima, e calda fuori del solito, I'autumno fu molto pluvioso: ma la terra si ritrovava talmenta arida, que assorbiva le aque in una maniera straordinaria." ('Discrizione de Tremuoti Accad. nella Calabria nel 1783. Opera Postuma di Francesco Antonio Grimaldi, p. 3, 8vo., Napoli, 1784')