A Confirmation of the Former Account Touching the Late Earth-Quake Near Oxford,and the Concomitants Thereof

PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. Monday, April 2. 1666. The Contents. A Confirmation of the former Account touching the late Earthquake near Oxford, and the Concomitants thereof, by Mr. Boyle. Some Observations and Directions about the Barometer, communicated by the same Hand. General Heads for a Natural History of a Country, small or great, proposed by the same. An Extract of a Letter, written from Holland, about Preserving Ships from being Worm-eaten. An Account of Mr. Boyle's lately publish't Tract, entituled, The Origine of Forms and Qualities, illustrated by Considerations and Experiments. A Confirmation of the former Account touching the late Earthquake near Oxford, and the Concomitants thereof. His Confirmation came from the Noble Mr. Boyle in a Letter, to the Publisher, as followeth: As to the Earthquake, your curiosity about it makes me sorry, that, though I think, I was the first, that gave notice of it to several of the Virtuosi at Oxford; yet the Account, that I can send you about it, is not so much of the Thing itself, as of the Changes of the Air, that accompanied it. To inform you of which, I must relate to you, that riding one Evening somewhat late betwixt Oxford & a Lodging, I have at a place, 4 miles distant from it, the weather having been for a pretty while Frosty, I found the Wind so very cold, that it reduced me to put on some defensives against it, which I never since, nor, if I forget not, all the foregoing part of the Winter was obliged to make use off. My unwillingness to stay long in so troublesome a Cold, which continued very piercing, till I had got half way home-ward, did put me upon galloping at no very lazy rate; and yet, before I could get to my Lodgings, I found the Wind turned, and felt the Rain falling; which, considering the shortness of the time, and that this Accident was preceded by a settled Frost, was surprising to me, and induced me to mention it at my return, as one of the greatest and suddainest Alterations of Air, I had ever observ'd: And what changes I found, have been taken notice of in the Gravity of the Atmosphere at the same time by that Accurate Observer * Dr. Wallis, who then suspected nothing of what follow'd; as I suppose, he has ere this told you himself. Soon after, by my guess about an hour, there was a manifest Trembling in the House where I was (which stands high in comparison of Oxford.) But it was not there so great, but that I, who chanced to have my thoughts busied enough on other matters, than the weather, should not have taken notice of it as an Earth-quake, but have imputed it to some other cause, if one, that you know, whose hand is employed in this Paper, and begins to be a diligent observer of Natural things, had not advertis'd me of it; as being taken notice of by him and the rest of the people of the House. And soon after there hapned a brisk Storm: whereupon I sent to make inquiry at a place call'd Brill, which standing upon a much higher ground, I supposed might be more obnoxious to the effects of the Earth-quake (of which, had I had any suspicion of it, my having formerly been in one near the Lacus Lemanus, would have made me the more observant;) But the person I sent to, being disabled disabled by sickness to come over to me (which he promis'd to do, as soon as he could) writ me only a Ticket, whose substance was, That the Earth-quake was there much more considerable, than where I lodged, and that at a Gentleman's house, whom he names (the most noted Person, it seems, of the neighbourhood) the House trembled very much, so as to make the Stones manifestly to move to and fro in the Parlour, to the great amazement and fright of all the Family. The Hill, whereon this Brill stands, I have observ'd to be very well stor'd with Mineral substances of several kinds; and from thence I have been inform'd by others, that this Earth-quake reach'd a good many miles; but I have neither leisure, nor inclination to entertain you with uncertain reports of the Extent and other Circumstances, especially since a little further time an inquiry may enable me to give you a better warranted account. Some Observations and Directions about the Barometer, communicated by the same Hand, to the Author of this Tract. These shall be set down, as they came to hand in another Letter; videl. As to the Barometrical Observations (as for brevities sake I use to call them) though you * guessed aright, that, when I saw those of the Learned and Inquisitive Dr. Beale, I had not Mine by me, (for I left them, some years since, in the hands of a Virtuoso, nor have I now the leisure to look after those Papers;) yet since by the Communication, you have made publick, 'tis probable, that divers Ingenious men will be invited to attempt the like Observations, I shall (notwithstanding my present haste) mention to you some particulars, which perhaps will not appear unseasonable, that came into my mind upon the reading of what you have presented the Curious. When I did, as you may remember, some years agoe, publicly express and desire that some Inquisitive men would make