'Tue earthquake in Peking on June 13th was the' sharpest that has been known for at least a quarter of a century and probably much longer. It lasted about fifteen seconds and produced such sharp vibrations in the walls of houses that many persons expected greater harm to follow. But only in one case were the walls of the house of a foreign resident actually parted from each other so that a builder had to be sent for instanter. The earthquake was at half-past four pin., and when many persons met at the garden party at six at the house of the Inspector-General, it was found on comparing notes that the course of the shaking was probably north to south, or, to be more minute, it had an inclination from north-west to south-east. The history of earthquakes in Peking shews that it is not unlikely that there will be a repetition of these vibrations for a month to come, but they will be less severe. i For it was so once in the reign of Cheng-hwa when the shaking took place at intervals for twenty-three days. This was four centuries ago. But in 1679 there was also an earthquake which Jasted at intervals for more than a mouth, This present earthquake is certainly more like that of 1679 than that of 1730, which overthrow many thousand houses and was the most severe visitation of this sort that Peking has ever had.
The remains of the devastation caused by earthquakes are best seen in China in city walls. The walls of Tungchou fourteen miles east of Peking are, if we inay trust to hearsay, an instance. They are ruined in many parts and it has been said are a standing memorial of what happened 158 years ago. On that occasion the fall of houses in Peking was general. The Emperor order 30,000 taels to be distributed to each banner, that is 240,000 taels in all, and no distinction wasmadein the distribution on account of there having been less or more devastation in different parts of the city. From this we conclude that all over the city there was a general shaking down of walls. At the summer lace a thousand taels was given to each ner to repair the mischief done to the soldiers in their encampments which encircle the park of that palace. The emperor also sent officers entrusted with 20,000 taels to go into the suburbs of most distressed among the poor popula-the city all round to give aid to the
tion. The Emperor also took pity on all the government officers in Peking, great and small, and ordered half a year's salary to be given to them to aid in house building. The sum expended on this account beige ha hares These things shew that the Peking earthquake of 8 a.m. on the 19th of the 8th moon in 1730 was no trifle. The Emperor Yung-cheng was boating on one of the imperial lakes at the time, and ' quakes in Fukien is because the coast j Was saved from alarm. All the imperial family and the great officers proceeded to offer him their congratulations on! his having escaped the shock so happily. In the Lettres Edifiantes we find an! intelligent missionary who saw much of the Emperor Chien-lung in his apartments saying, that the Chinese mode of building houses by first erecting a frame of wood and then filling up with: bricks is intended as a security against their being shaken down by earthquakes.
The feeling of the two emperors on occasion of the earthquakes was not quite the same, In 1730 the Emperor from heaven telling him that he had took the destructive shocks as a wi
not behaved as he ought in his responsible position, In a special decree he alludes to heavy rain which had fallen twice since the earthquake before the ple could rebuild their houses, and e remarks how gladly would he have suffered with them in the same way. He then says all these calamities are caused by men's evil actions, and quotes Chao-foo-tze's words " if my heart is right the heart of heaven and earth will be right also." But when was the heart of heaven and earth not right If it ever be not what seems to us right, it is because men have provoked punishment by their actions. How can heaven and earth willingly send down calamities on mankind? He then alludes to the teaching of the Book of History, "those who act well, heaven sends down on them a hundred forms of prosperity." "Tf they act ill heaven sends a hundred forms of calamity." He further quotes from the Kan-ying-pien, but without saying so, the words "the retribution of and evil follows them just as a shadow follows
Cheng studied Chao-foo-tze and the guage shews that the ror Yun Lepr sed which rie it." Ered
moral philosophy of the Sung dynasty with eager faith. In contrast to this, his father the Emperor Kanghi while falling in with the rules of imperial etiquette and adopting somewhat similar language when the earthquake of 1679 occurred, entered rather into enquiries into the causes of earthquakes and thus shewed that he was naturally disposed to occupy his mind with scientific researches. He remarks that he has read that at sea before an earthquake there is no wind perceptible, and when this happens instructed pilots change their courss and take their vessels out to sea'so that when the earthquake comes they may be far from the rocks of the coast. This seems to the Emperor to prove that the air is the cause of quakes. He also asserts that in the north-west of China earthquakes are extremely severe because the land there is very stony and sandy. The hard rocky crust of the earth in those parts renders the imprisoned air more impetuous and uncontrollable especially as it seldom rains there and streams and rivers are few. On the other hand he remarks that the frequency of earth-is there nearly level with the sea. These imperial observations will not help us much in constructing a complete" theory of earthquakes, but they are proof of the Emperor's interest in scientific enquiries.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.