198 The East Anglian Earthquake.
Direction No. IX. Thorpe-le-Soken.—No. 32, a direct con-
tinuation of No. VI. passing through Wivenhoe.
Direction taken:—E.-W.
Nos. 33 and 34 fall completely outside area of damage.
Nos. 35 and 36 also fall away from area of damage, but
directions given approximate to probable origin. Nos. 37
and 38 indicate origins in Suffolk, which are certainly in-
correct.
Direction No. X. Masworth.—No. 39 passes through Peldon.
Direction taken: E.-W.
No. 40 not sufficiently definite; gives origin in Norfolk.
The London observations (No. 41) very conflicting; none of
the directions given pass through area of damage. No. 42
bears no relation to main axis. No. 43 gives epicentrum in
Suffolk, a little N. of Ipswich.
The ten directions entered in the map (Plate IV.) all depend
upon fairly trustworthy observations, such as the swing of
pendulous objects, the rocking of upright bodies, &c. As no
observations of this character were made towards the S.E.,
so as to indicate the position of the epicentrum from this
direction, we may be permitted to accept Dr. H. C. Sorby's
estimate of the direction at East Mersea (p. 78), which,
although founded on damage to buildings, agrees closely with
the direction suggested by other considerations :—
Direction No. XL East Mersea. —No. 16, as estimated by
Dr. H. C. Sorby from damage to church (p. 78); passes
through Langenhoe.
Direction taken:—N.W.-S.E.
The directions given converge towards the main axis of
damage with as much accuracy as can be expected, con-
sidering the kind of observations which have been available.106
It is of course possible that the blow may have been struck
obliquely at some point under the German Ocean along a line
at right angles to the origin given, but this seems improbable
in the absence of any tidal disturbance. It is, moreover,
certain that the origin was not a mere point, but a more or
105 Owing to the necessarily rough character of these observations*, it
has been considered unnecessary to go to the trouble of inquiring in each
case whether the direction given was compass-direction or true bearing.