In some places it shook the houses, glass, earthenware, &c., while in other parts, the effect was more gentle. At Penryn, the noise was like a sudden rush of wind, accompanied by the rumbling of a heavy waggon. The first impression was, that a powder mill, two miles off, had blown up. It was afterwards stated, that the great boiler at Tresavean mine, five miles distant, had burst. In the mines at Gwennap, it was felt so sensibly that many of the miners alarmed for their safety, ascended to the top of the mines, and many persons in the parish of Constantine, and in the neighbourhood of Helston, ran out of their houses in a state of terror. The shock lasted about half a minute, and, immediately afterwards, all was calm and tranquil. There appears to be no doubt that it was the effect of an earthquake either in this county or elsewhere. It was conjectured, that some subterraneous convulsion had occurred at Lisbon, as the shock of the earthquake which happened there in 1755, was felt in Cornwall. Nothing, however, has hitherto transpired to throw any light upon the circumstance. An earthquake has been described as a sudden and violent concussion of the earth, usually accompanied by strange noises under ground, or in the air, often destroying whole cities at once, throwing down rocks, altering the course of rivers, and producing great devastations. Some countries are more subject to this phenomenon than others, particularly islands, and those places situate near the Equator. The following phenomena of earthquakes may be regarded as generally correct. Where there are any volcanoes or burning mountains, an earthquake may be expected, especially if the volcano have been long quiet. It is generally preceded by a long drought, and sometimes by electrical appearances, the aurora borealis, falling stars, &c. Before the shock, the sea becomes unusually rough, and clamorous; fountains are agitated, and animals affrighted. The air at the time of the shock is usually calm and serene. The shock approaches with a rumbling noise like that of a carriage; sometimes a rushing noise like wind; and sometimes explosions like the firing of a cannon are heard. A single shock is but of very short duration, scarcely lasting a minute, but often succeded by a second, or a third; chasms are often formed, from which flames and great quantities of water sometimes issue. In violent earthquakes, these chasms are so large, that whole buildings sink down into them instantly. The sea, ponds, lakes, and even vessels in the rivers are frequently affected by them. Earthquakes are of two kinds. One appears to be caused by the action of subterraneous fires; when the matters which form them, ferment, heat, and inflame, the fire makes an effort on every side; and if it find not a natural vent, it raises the earth and forms a passage by throwing it out; which produces a volcano. When the fire is not considerable, a commotion or an earthquake may ensue, without a volcano being formed. The gases produced, or rarefied by the subterraneous fires, may also find small vents, by which they will escape, and in this case, there will be only a shock, without any eruption or volcano. There is another kind of earthquake different in its effects, and most probably in its causes. It is felt over a large extent of country, without producing any new volcano or eruption. To understand the causes of this kind of earthquake, it must be remarked, that many substances by decomposition or inflammation, generate vast quantities of gas and vapour; and the fire acting on these gases produces great rarefaction. At various depths from the earth's surface, pyrites and other sulphureous matters are formed, which, by fermentation produced by the filtration of the water, or other causes, inflame, and thus produce a great quantity of air and vapour, which searching for passages by which it may escape, will naturally force its way through those parts where there is the least obstruction, and proceed through the interstices between the different strata, or through any channel or caverns which may afford a passage. This subterraneous air or vapour, will therefore produce in its progress a noise and motion, proportioned to its force, and to the resistance it meets with; and these effects will continue till it finds a vent, perhaps in the sea, or till it has diminished its force by being greatly expanded. This explanation, says a writer, corresponds entirely with all the phenomena nected with earthquakes. They proceed with an undulating motion, and are felt at different places, not indeed at the same instant, but at different times, in proportion to the distance. It is well known that mines exhale vapours, independent of the wind produced by the current of the water, and it is not unlikely that something of the sort referred to in the preceding theory, may have originated the shock felt in Cornwall. con The greatest earthquake of antiquity is that mentioned by Pliny, in which, twelve cities in Asia Minor, are said to have been engulphed in one night. In the reign of Trajan, the city of Antioch, and a great part of the adjacent country, were buried by an earthquake. Three hundred years after, in the time of Justinian, it was again destroyed with thousands of its inhabitants, and after a lapse of sixty years, it shared a similar fate with a still greater loss of human life. In 1638, the town of St. Euphemia was swallowed up, and nothing but a putrid lake was afterwards to be seen on the site where it had stood. The earthquake in Jamaica, in 1692, destroyed the town of Port Royal, and sunk the houses in a gulf forty fathoms deep. In 1693, an earthquake happened in Sicily, which destroyed, or greatly damaged, many cities, towns, and villages. The earthquake at Lisbon, happened in 1755, and is thus described. "On the 1st November, early in the morning a thick fog arose, which the sun's heat soon dissipated. No wind was stirring; the sea was calm; and the weather as warm as in June or July, in Britain. At thirty-five minutes past nine o'clock without the least warning, except a rumbling noise, a most dreadful earthquake shook, by quick but short vibrations, the foundations of all the city, so that many buildings instantly fell. Then with a pause, scarcely perceptible, the nature of the motion was changed, and the houses were tossed from side to side, with a motion like that of a waggon, violently driven over rough stones. This second shock laid almost the whole city in ruins, with a prodigious destruction of human life. The earthquake lasted about six minutes. At the moment of its commencement, some persons on the river, near a mile from the city, heard their boat make a noise as if it had run aground, though they were then in deep water; and at the same time, they saw the houses falling on both sides the river! The bed of the Tagus was, in many places, raised to its surface. Ships were driven from their anchors and jostled together with great violence. A large new quay sunk to an unfathomable depth, with several hundreds of people upon it; nor was one of the dead bodies ever found. The effects of this earthquake were felt at Colares, Oporto, St. Ubes, and several other places, as well as in Africa, France, Germany, Holland, Great Britain, and Ireland. The city of Guatemala, also was nearly destroyed, in the spring of 1830, by earthquakes, which continued five successive days. Such are the awful effects produced by these natural convulsions. That they are instruments in the hand of God to accomplish some important design in the system of the universe, is unquestionable. Thus, though they are a partial evil, they are doubtless an universal good. The mind of the Christian, reposing itself in the wisdom and goodness of God, derives its confidence from his care and protection. While others are in a state of trepidation at the idea of an earthquake, he can trust and not be afraid, and say, "God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble; therefore will I not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." (Ps. xlvi. 1, 2.) He who possesses an interest in Christ, has nothing to fear; come life or death, all will be well with him. He lies down in peace, under the secure wing of the Divine protection. All things are working together for his good. "He shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with him." In the assurance of Divine mercy and care, he can sing, Let mountains from their seats be hurl'd Penryn. R. C. GRACE UPON GRACE, THE Christian's heart, like a clock, has a continual tendency to go down, and equally needs winding up again. Sabbaths are good days for this purpose; but the business must also be repeated every day, and the most advantageous time is the morning, before the cares and anxieties of the day begin to intrude. There is no better way to end a truly spiritual life than daily to begin such a life.-Cecil. WORKING IN AND WORKING OUT. "IT is God who works in us,' it is for man to work out' the principle thus implanted—to shew that he has it, by a holy and consistent walk and conversation." "OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." ELEANOR, or as she was always called, Nelly Vanner, was born at Guildford, December 17, 1828. Every one who knew her, loved her. They could not help it, for she was kind and gentle to every one. She was never very healthy and strong; she could not play about upon the dewy grass, or in the rough wind, but was always very delicate. Because of her ill health, Nelly scarcely ever left her mother's side; she was with her mother all day long, and she slept at night by her mother's bed. She was never strong enough to go to school, but she learned at home many things; for it was her mother's great delight to train her in knowledge and love; and to her sisters it was a sweet employment. Besides, she learned many things by herself, without giving any one the trouble to teach her. When Nelly was a little baby, her mother used to sing to her very much, and every day she heard her sisters singing. Once, when she was very ill, they sat up all night to play music to her, for nothing else could keep her from thinking of the pain. From hearing so much music, Nelly, as you would suppose, became very fond of it. Before she could read herself, Nelly was very fond of being read to. She would listen very attentively, and any little story that she liked, she always wished to hear again. When she thought that her mother or sisters were not busy, she used to bring her little book to them, and ask them to read. If they could not attend to her, she never teazed them to do so. She did not whine and pout, like some children because she could not have her own way, but she would gently slip away, and find amusement for herself. Her sister Eliza was very fond of reading one story to her, and when Eliza had finished reading, Nelly would tell it over again in her own simple way. It was about Mr. Cecil teaching his little child what Faith meant,-how the little girl did not like to part with her beads,what a struggle of heart she had,—and how, at last, she obeyed, and threw them into the fire, because she had Faith in her father's love and goodness. It was a sweet thing to hear Nelly repeating the story. When Eliza died, none can tell what Nelly felt, for her dearest sister was torn from her heart;-and oh! the difference to her! Many a The abstract which we have given above, conveys a very imperfect idea of Mr. Curwen's touching and judicious memoir, entitled "The History of Nelly Vanner." We trust, however, it will be sufficient to awaken in the minds of all our readers an anxious desire for the perusal of that admirable little work, which we do not hesitate to say is one of the most sensible and affecting pieces of juvenile biography we have ever had the satisfaction of perusing. Q |