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common rendezvous of the factory in the cool of the evening! found it all deep water, and in ſome parts ſcarcely to be fathomed.
'This is the only place I could learn which was ſwallowed up in or about Litton, though I ſaw many large cracks and fiſſures in different parts and one odd phenomenon I muſt not omit; which was communicated to me by a friend who had a houſe and wine-cellars on the other ſide of the river, viz. that the dwelling-houſe being firſt terribly ſhaken, which made all the family run out, there preſently fell down a vaſt high rock near it, that upon this the river roſe and ſubſsided in the manner already mentioned, and immediately a great number of ſmall fiſſures appeared in ſeveral contiguous pieces of ground, whence there ſpouted out like a jet d'eau a large quantity of fine white ſand, to a prodigious height.
'I had not been long in the area of St. Paul's, when I felt the third ſhock, which though ſomewhat leſs violent than the two former, the ſea ruſhed in again, and retired with the ſame rapidity, and I remained up to my knees in water, though I had gotten upon a ſmall eminence at ſome diſtance from the river, with the ruins of ſeveral intervening houſes to break its force. At this time I took notice the waters retired ſo impetuouſly, that ſome veſſels were left quite dry, which rode in ſeven fathom water: the river thus continued alternately ruſhing on and retiring ſeveral times together in ſuch ſort, that it was juſtly dreaded Liſbon would now meet the ſame fate, which a few years ago had befallen the city of [1] Lina.
'Perhaps you may think the preſent doleful ſubject here concluded; but, alas! the horrors of the firſt of November, are ſufficient to fill a volume.
- ↑ This happened in 1764.
