Destruction of Sodom--Arguments--The pitch lake of Trinidad--Ætna: eruption of 1669--Thousands perish--Catania destroyed--Other outbreaks--Iceland: Mt. Hecla--Tremendous eruption of Skaptar Jokul--One-fifth of the people perish--Millions of cubic yards of lava--Disturbances in the sea--Jorullo: a mountain made in a night--Fearful outburst of Sumbawa--Twenty-six people out of twelve thousand escape--Explosions heard nine hundred miles--Other Malaysian volcanoes--Geysers--Terrible eruption of Cosequina--Heard one thousand miles--Eruptions in South America--Force required to send out lava--In the Sandwich Islands--Krakatoa: the greatest eruption in history--A chorus of volcanoes--Awful destruction--Perceived around the world--Unparalleled sea wave 440 CHAPTER XXIII. EARTHQUAKES. Myths of the earthquake--Ancient theories--Modern research--Earthquakes and volcanic agency--Speed of a shock--The atmospheric theory--Earthquakes at particular seasons--The “planetary influence” theory--Character of motions 481 CHAPTER XXIV. EUROPEAN EARTHQUAKES. Legends of the flood--Sparta Destroyed--Bura and Helice engulfed--Numerous convulsions in Asia Minor--Antioch repeatedly destroyed--North Africa suffers--Calabrian earthquake of 1693--A tremendous convulsion in 1783--Immense chasms--People swallowed up--Great landslides--Terrible catastrophe at Scylla--Ruffians amid the wreck--The great Lisbon earthquake--Its vast extent--Awful destruction--Earthquake at Chio--In Switzerland--In Ischia--Distressing scenes in the ruins--Disastrous shocks in Spain 496 CHAPTER XXV. EARTHQUAKES IN THE UNITED STATES AND ENGLAND. All nature uneasy--The terrifying character of an earthquake--Signs and wonders--“El Gran Ruido,” of Guanajuato--Frequency of earthquakes--Earthquake in New England, 1638--A second in 1663--Shock of 1727--Great convulsions of 1755--Damage and great alarm at Boston--“The end of the world!"--Great disturbance in the Mississippi Valley, 1811--Strange feats--The Charleston earthquake--Numerous English earthquakes--Comparatively small loss of life 535 CHAPTER XXVI. EARTHQUAKES IN TROPICAL AMERICA. Shocks in Asia: lack of reliable information--The Andes region--Great earthquake of Riobamba--Humboldt’s description--Numerous shocks in Venezuela--Catastrophe of Caracas--Effect on the survivors--Frequent convulsions at San Salvador--Total destruction in 1854--Ruffians on the scene--Sudden disaster of Mendoza--Touching incidents--Faithful dogs--Shocks in Peru and gigantic sea wave--Numerous great shocks--The end of all things--The last man 563 CHAPTER XXVII. PREDICTION AND PREVENTION.