Since the latter end of 1883 up to the present time (Sept. 1885) the inhabitants of certain portions of the town of Sunderland have been much disturbed by a series of small but distinctly sensible earth-shakes, which have caused considerable discussion in the local press and elsewhere. These shocks were chiefly felt in that quarter of the town known as the Tunstall Road, but were not absolutely limited to that locality. They were accompanied by rumblings— sometimes dull but often loud—by the rattling of crockery and furniture, and frequently by very distinct shakes of the entire framework of buildings. Often the shocks have, at night, waked up and terrified the sleeping inhabitants.