Thus we should not expect that ships far out at sea would often notice seaquakes unless the quake took place very near them. There are, however, some instances. Captain Gales, of the ship _Florence Nightingale_, reported that on January 25th, 1859, while near St. Paul's Rocks, not far from the Equator, "we felt a strong shock of an earthquake. It began with a rumbling sound like distant thunder and lasted about forty seconds. I was quite well acquainted with earthquakes, as I had experienced a good many on the west coast of America, but never had I felt so severe a one. Glass and dishes rattled so vigorously that I was surprised to find them uninjured. A good many objects fell down, and it was as if the ship were grounding on a reef." Another report from a locality not far from this speaks of a strange submarine noise not unlike distant thunder, or still more like the distant firing of heavy guns. At the same time there was a vibration of the ship as though the anchor had been let go. The foregoing are representative of the large majority of the reports of seaquakes. The ship quivers, vibrates; loose objects clatter and tumble. There is a strange thunderous noise in the sea. The first impression is as if the ship were grinding upon the bottom, and there is an instinctive rush of the crew to the deck to see if the ship is not on a reef. In some instances there are some forcible disturbances. M. Vulet d'Aourst speaks of a seaquake so severe that "the Admiral feared the complete destruction of the corvette." Heavy objects, including cannon and their carriages, were thrown upon the deck. The ship itself seemed to be hurled upwards.