On the 8th of July 1788-The fea at Dunbar fuddenly receded eighteen inches.

On the 13th July 1788-An earthquake was felt at the Ifle of Man.

In September 1789-There was a violent earthquake in Iceland *.

On Thursday the 5th of November 1789, between five and fix in the evening, a smart fhock of an earthquake was felt at Crieff, at Comrie, and for many miles round that district, which is about fifty miles from Edinburgh.-At Major Robertfon's houfe of Lawers, a rumbling noise, like distant thunder, had been heard at intervals for two months; and at the time of the fhock, a noife like the discharge of diftant artillery was diftinctly heard. Meff. D-s and B-ce of Edinburgh were standing before the fire in the drawing-room, and they described the shock, as if a great mallet had suddenly struck the foundation of the house with violence.-At the village of Comrie, the inhabitants left their houses, and ran to the open fields.

On the 11th of November, in the forenoon, in the fame place, another fhock was felt, and more violent than that of the 5th. It was accompanied with a

* See Letter from Copenhagen, Oct. 6. 1789, published in the newspapers about the end of October.

hollow

hollow rumbling noife. The ice on a piece of water near the houfe of Lawers was fhivered to atoms *

Extract of a letter from Florence, Oct. 2. 1789. "We have received the melancholy intelligence, that, on the 30th of September, at three quarters after eleven o'clock in the morning, a violent fhock of an earthquake was felt in the town of Borgo San Sepolcro, which lafted two minutes. The cathedral was partly deftroyed, and fome churches, with many houfes and palaces, entirely fo. In a village five miles from Borgo San Sepolcro, the earth opened and swallowed up above thirty houfes, with all their inhabitants; and the remainder of that village, confisting of above 150 houses, was totally deftroyed: The earth there opened in many different places, and a great quantity of cattle have perished, befides above 1000 perfons +."

It is very extraordinary that on the fame day, viz. the 30th of September, near three o'clock in the afternoon, two or three distinct fhocks of an earthquake were felt at the house of Parfons Green, within a mile of Edinburgh. The house is fituated on the north fide of the hill called Arthur's Seat, which is compofed of an immenfe mafs of blue granite.Several vifitors were in the house to dine with the family, and the whole company ran down stairs from

* See the Edinburgh papers of the above date.

London Chronicle, Oct. 17. 1789.

the

the drawing-room, and they met the fervants from the kitchen, in the lobby, equally alarmed at what had happened. They defcribed the fenfation as if the houfe had received two or three violent blows in the foundation, fo that all the furniture shook.

On Friday the 4th of December 1789, the ship Brothers, Capt. Stewart, arrived at Leith from Archangel, who reported that on the coaft of Lapland and Norway he failed many leagues through immense quantities of dead haddocks floating on the furface of the fea. He spoke several English ships, who reported the fame fact.-It is certain that haddock, which was the fish in the greatest abundance in the Edinburgh market, has been fcarcely feen there these two years

*

I do not mean at present to draw any hypothesis or theory from what I have stated above, but merely to bring facts into one general view, and to induce others to make obfervations of the fame kind. The knowledge of facts is the only foundation of true philofophy. I am, &c.

THEOPHRASTUS.

* In February 1790, three haddocks were brought to market, which from their fcarcity fold for 7s. 6d.

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE Spoken by Mr Digges, the night, Houstoun Stewart Nicoljon, Efq. first appeared on the Edinburgh Theatre. He performed the character of Richard III. for the purpose of building a Bridge over the river

Carron.

ERE the dread curtain rise that brings in fight
The bold adventurous Quixote of the night,
May I, an humble veteran, appear,

Just to announce our generous Volunteer?

Oft has his genius cried-" Let Fear recede,
By foft-ey'd Pity's melting look; proceed:
Though Custom mourn her violated laws,
Yet ftill your purpose muft protect your cause:
Let not your young blood freeze with dire despair,
But cover well with wig your bristling hair!"

From Carron's winding banks he comes! the ftream
Flows bright recorded by dramatic fame:

Raptur'd he hopes this liberal night may fave
Some future Douglas from the fwelling wave.

But I detain your wifhes as they rife,

And the keen glance darts quick from Beauty's eyes:
I go, accufe me not of partial dealing,

If I for Bridges* have a fellow feeling.

* The North Bridge of Edinburgh, the principal communication to the Playhouse, was at this time supposed to be in danger of falling.

On

On feeing a Captain of Fencibles quit the head of his Company, and go into a Hackney.coach.

BONDUCA rush'd naked of old to the war,
And swept down whole ranks with the scythes of her car;
Our moderns, alas! are not quite fo robuft,

But fhrink from the fun, and the wind, and the duft,
And, firmly refolv'd to fleep found as a roach,
Quit the old British car for John Hay's hackney coach.

Let fair Scotia hence learn a defence more becoming, Discharge all her men, trust to fencible women: What warrior fo brave can refift their alarms? What heart but must tremble when prefs'd by their arms?

To the Author of the Effay on Nothing, who was remarkably thin and flender.

TO difcern where the force of their genius lies, Often puzzles the witty, and fometimes the wife; Your difcernment in this, all true critics must find,

Since the subject so well suits your body and mind.

To