Letter written by Patrick Russell in Aleppo on 2 Dec. and 7 Dec. 1759 CE
L11. An Account of the late Earthquakes in Syria : In a Letter from Dr. Patrick Russell, to his Brother,
Alexander Russell, M . D. F. R. S
Aleppo, Dec. 2, 1759.
Read Feb. 21, 1760
As I recollect nothing in the way
of business, which I have not already wrote you about; and as I know not when this letter may get away,
I shall, in the mean time, give you some account of the earthquakes here, which have thrown the people into
a terrible consternation.
The spring of this year was unusually dry, the summer temperate, and the autumn,
though the rains came on towards the end of September, might be
be esteemed much drier than in other years. The Aleppo river has been very low all the summer;
and its bed, from the first to the second mill, is, I believe, even now still without water.
This phenomenon I, at first, thought remarkable; but have been informed, that the scarcity of water
complained of, during all the summer, was occasioned by driving the river into some rice-grounds lately
formed towards Antab.
On the morning of the 10th of June, a slight shock of an earthquake was felt
here, and, as usual, soon forgot; having, so far as we know, been felt in no other place, in any
degree of severity.
October the 30th, about four in the morning, we had a pretty severe shock
(indeed the most violent I had ever felt), which lasted somewhat more than a minute, but did no
damage in Aleppo. In about ten minutes after this first, there was a second shock; but the tremulous
motion was less violent, and did not last above fifteen seconds. It had rained a little in the
preceding evening; and when the earthquake happened, the west wind blew fresh, the sky was cloudy,
and it lightened.
This earthquake occasioned little alarm amongst the natives, and even with the Europeans
was the topic only for a day. But the subject was soon revived, by letters from Damascus, where
the same shock felt by us at Aleppo, and several other successive ones, had done considerable damage.
From this time, we had daily accounts of earthquakes from Damascus, Tripoly, Seidon, Acri, and all along
the coast of Syria; but so exaggerated in some circumstances, and so inaccurate in all, that we
only knew in in general, that Damascus, Acri, and Seidon, have suffered injury from the earthquake,
though less than was at
first given out.
Such stories circulating among the people, rendered them more susceptible of alarm; and an
occasion soon offered, where they feared, that the worst of their apprehensions were to be realized.
This happened the 25th of November. The morning had been serene, some clouds arose after noon, and the
evening was remarkably hazy, with little or no wind. About half an hour after seven at night, the
earthquake came on : the motion, at first, was gently tremulous, increasing by degrees, till the vibrations
became more distinct, and, at the same time, so strong, as to shake the walls of the houses with
considerable violence; they again became more gentle, and thus changed alternately several times during the
shock, which lasted in all about two minutes. In about eight minutes after this was over, a slight shock,
of a few seconds duration, succeeded. The thermometer was at 50, and the barometer stood at 28-9, the mercury
suffering no alteration. There was little or no wind in the night, the sky clear, excepting some heavy
clouds, that hung about the moon. At a quarter after four next morning, we had another shock, which
lasted somewhat less than a minute, and was hardly so strong as that of the preceding night. The night
of the 26th was rainy and cloudy. At nine o’clock we had a slight shock, of a few seconds. The
motion here appeared to be very deep, and was rather undulatory than tremulous. The 27th, cloudy and rainy.
From midnight of the 25th, besides these now mentioned, four or five slighter shocks were felt but I myself was
sensible of none till the morning of the 28th, when we had a short pulsatory shock.
The same day, at two o’clock, we had a pretty smart shock, lasting about forty seconds. From this time, I was
sensible of no more, though others either felt or imagined several slight vibrations every day.
However violent this
earthquake was, or rather, by the frightened people of Aleppo, imagined to be, it is certain, that, excepting in a
very few old walls, the city bears no fresh marks of ruin; none of the oldest minarets have suffered. Its effects
at Antioch were more formidable ; many houses have been thrown down, and some few people killed.
December 7 h.
The earthquake of the evening of the 25th has proved fatal to Damascus ; one-third of the city was thrown down, and of the people,
numbers yet unknown perished in the ruins. The greater part of the surviving inhabitants fled to the fields,
where they still continued, being hourly alarmed by slighter shocks, which deterred them from re-entering the city,
or attempting the relief of such as might yet be saved, by clearing away the rubbish. Such was the purport of
a letter I read this day, which was wrote from Damascus three days after the earthquake. Other accounts we
have at this place, make the loss of the inhabitants amounts to 20,000; but, in circumstances of such general
horror and confusion, little accuracy can be expected, and the eastern disposition to exaggeration reigns, at present,
universally.
Tripoly has differed rather more than Aleppo; three minorets, and two or three houses, were thrown down,
while the walls of numbers of the houses were rent. The Franks, and many of the natives, have deserted the
city, and remain in the fields.
At Seidon, great part of the Frank kane was overthrown, and some of the Europeans narrowly
escaped with their lives. Acri and Latakea have suffered little, besides rents in some of the walls: but Saphet (eight
hours from Acri) was totally destroyed, together with the greater part of the inhabitants.
Such are the most authentic accounts we have from abroad; how much they contribute to calm the minds of the people at Aleppo, you may easily imagine.
Since the afternoon of the 28th, several slight shocks have been every day felt, and many more formed by the power of
imagination: for my own part, I have since that time perceived none, excepting one the evening of the 5th, which was
pretty strong, but lasted not above twenty seconds. The weather, for these two days, has been gloomy and rainy; a change
which people are willing to flatter themselves is favourable. It often lightens in the night, and thunder is heard at a great distance.
