st important seismic regions, and the positions of the
principal towns, bays, etc., mentioned in the text. (Plate II.)

Near the left margin of this second map will be found an index of the
seismic regions just mentioned, each of them being represented by its
ordinal number (large Roman figures). Near each of these ordinals is
placed the corresponding number of earthquakes since 1862 contained in
the catalogue (Arabic figures), which is followed, in brackets, by an
analysis of the said number, in which Roman figures designate the
degrees of the earthquake, scale of De Rossi-Forel, while small Arabic
figures, written like exponents, give the number of earthquakes of
each degree of intensity.

In drawing the map on Plate II it was not intended to represent the
epicentric area of every individual earthquake center (which would
have crowded the map beyond reasonable limits), but rather to show the
principal seismic regions. Hence most of these curves contain more
than one focus. The approximate position of each of the latter has,
however, been indicated by a star, while the figure placed close to
the star gives the number of earthquakes which proceeded from the said
center.

A word must be said in apology for the constant use in the following
list of the Spanish word "_convento_." This word which means
monastery, cloister, or convent, is universally used in the
Philippines to designate also the habitation of the clergy attached to
a parish church. Although these are, as a rule, spacious buildings and
were formerly inhabited well-nigh exclusively by friars, they can not
properly be called monasteries. Wherefore, in order to avoid lengthy
circumlocutions, the Spanish word "_convento_" has been retained.

The reader who is not familiar with this country may find it strange
that in reporting earthquake damages so much emphasis appears to be
laid on the harm done to churches and _conventos_. This is easily
explained by the fact that these buildings were often the only
structures within the meizoseismal area, and built nearly everywhere
in the most substantial manner.

In the present catalogue we have also included, by way of an appendix,
the earthquakes which are known to have occurred in the Marianas or
Ladrones group of islands. While their number is too small to warrant
separate publication, we believe that the data concerning them will be
welcome to the earthquake investigator.

CATALOGUE OF VIOLENT AND DESTRUCT