The National Register. — London, England, 1818-01-11 00:00:00

------- - HURRICANE IN THE WEST INDIES. EXTRACT OP A LETTER DATED IT. PIERRE, II ARTINIQUiI t NOTRMBICR 10. On the 21st of October, this colony was visited by the roost furious hurricane ever witnessed tame. The details of this sad disaster would be equally long as painful. The loss of nearly 1,000 lives, 2:i.000 hogsheads of sugar of the present and next crop, incalculable losses in buildings, animals, and the necessaries of life, have occasioned a general desolation, independently of the great anxiety caused by 9-10t11 of the shipping which were in the different ports of the island, be ing either wrecked, damaged, or missing. St. Lucie and Dominica have equally suffered, the tempest reached also St. Vincent and Grenada. It ravages extended to Cuadaloupe, as well as to Porto Rico and its neighbourhood, though in a less degree. The loss experienced by Martinique alone may be very moderately calculated at 25,000,00 of Trans, exclu sively of the shipping, the works and buildings of entire parishes were razed to the ground. It lasted 26 hours, 12 of which with such inconceivable fury, as to produce all these disasters, and to destroy buildings which had withstood all former hurricanes. It will require many years before the colony can recover itself from this heavy calamity. DI:Mule:1 is one of the islands in the direct track of the late hurricane in the West Indies ; hilt of the damages which it sustained few particulars hire transpired. A letter from Barbadoes gives the following details:— " Barbadoes, " Accounts have of late reached us from Dm»iniea, whence every vessel was driven ill sea during the late hurricane, and move o f them had rrtnrned when the Robert mail boat, which arrived here on suottay -the 2d inst., tuft that island. The country has' suffered so materially, that unless supplied, a th. raine is dreaded."—From another letter of the S an), date, we learn, that on the 29th of Oct. the Go•:ernor of Dominica issued a proclamation, allowing, in cot.sequence of the plan tations and provisions having been destroyed by the horri. cane of the 'lst, the importation into that island, for six months, in vessels of all nations and descriptions, of flour, bread, biscuits, rice, beans, pease, oats, corn, meal, live stock, horses, mules, horned cattle, roots and frnits of all binds, boards, planks, Ac. The proclamation Emitter per mits the exportation of sugar and coffee to the value of tone third part of the imported cargo, and rum and molasses for the remainder." A letter pnblished in the Journal des Debate, contains an account a the damage. sustained at Martinique by the hurricane which has tensed such ravages in the West Indies. It is dated St. Pierre, Oct. 29 :—the following is a summary of its contents " All the parishes of' the colony suffered more or less from the dreadful storm vu the 21st of October. Every where the provisions of the country were destroyed,. and 411 hopes of a harvest, w hieh promised to he most abundant, are annihilat ed. In some parts of the island the sugar manufactories were greatly injured ; in others, totally destrityed, the plan tations were generally torn up ; eirgroes and rattle perished in considerable numbers, and every thing presented an image of desolation. The towns were no less iiijored. The houses and public buildings of Fort Royal were either wholly t bled down, or unroofed. The same tool, place at St. Pierre. in the roads, great disasters happened among the shipping. Of the three king's ships which were there, two made sail immediately, and st I otf from the Wand t h e other (the Margaretta) was wi card on the coast ; the men and property were saved. The hull of the vessel alone was lost. Hitherto there is reason to dope that Guadaloupe has escaped the hurricane. In miler to mitigate as far as possible the calamities of this awfill visitation, the Governor genet al of Martinique, Count de N'aiigi rand, issued a pi oclaination on the 28th October, openiw,,7 the ports In all vessels, of what ever description, twinging articles of food, such as wheat. barley, &c., and bitch articles as would be necessary for agri culture, and for the tcparaticn and daily consumption of the sugar ulanufactories. A letter dated the fob November mentions the damages sustained in the neighbouring islands of St. Lurie, Doinitne 3 , Givnada, St. Vincent, St. Thomas, awl Porto Rico. Up t o that period no intelligence had been received of the fate of thaw vessels which had put to sea at the commencement of the hurricane. The following particulars %sere received by the Leeward Liana Mail which reached town on Thuesday DOM, It A. Noe. a—Our accounts from the other parts of the island are now somewhat more consolatory than our feats h a d sugges t e d, with respect to the canes and coffee, but provisious arc every where injured, or totally destroyed ; "'flue schooner Rec., which left St. Thomas on Friday in.. form us, that the following vessels driven out of Nlartinique bad tint i:, there un the 23d tilt. Jesit', La Bon Henri, L a Heine Ville, and American brig Forums, all dismasteit, with list and six feet Witter in their holds, most of th e m en washed rivet board, mai the hiilla not rendered sea worthy. "The. French ship Ceres struck on Crab Island, and to pieces, her crew consisting of firemen, drowned. Ten or twelve sail eau ou shore at Pert() Rico, by the Masters tins_ sing $l. Thomas, and the erect perished. A small schooner teas passed keel uppermost; and the Captain of the 800 Henri declares it impossible for any small s coil to live in such a sea and wind. Both St. Thomas and Polio Rico have suffered dreadfully limn the effects of the linrricane, and :natty vessels base been lost on those islands. Its these ac. counts also, our hopes of the return of the miitoi;iiitate ves• sets that putt to sea on the _lst from our auchoi age arc con siderably di iii ; they may, however, yet be heard of blither to leeward. :-er. Ott. 2.3.—We have this day the paitifui task of recording the destructive edicts of one of those awful •tsitations of l'uovidence which ate but seldom or partially expericiteed in this favoured colony, although of frequent re• Goulette, ist the islands situated to the northward of let timing this Ileum' ut the year. On Tuesday, at day West:, the ap. pew-ince of the weather indicated an approach of the calamity which in the cause of that day eat attended atilt such unit. chlevotts consequences iu this pott y as well us in other parts of the colony ; the wind at this early hour set in from the north west, accompanied by a heavy sea, and every other de monstration of au approaching storm. During the Imenoon the gale continued to Mei - ease, and the agitation of the wares press:Med the mist :Omitting appearative while the resets In the ha.) , were peeseint d , lis the (liner of the storm, foam quittiug *lieu aneliorogi ,111,1110,11,, , wsee p l ace d i„ it , /melt I . i 1 the 11101111114 tillindie aft moon, the moral raged with tee. ti:ett loos sie!etice, accompanied by falls of rain ; aid several s es sets 5%, ie. in consequence, throws on the batch, blether with theft 4evet al s 'Ruble drogittag boats; Vie NATIONAL 1110 some of the Utter are totally lost In Ibis bay and along the leeward coast. " The vessels which suffered are the schooner Ann and Eliza, of this port, on shore, but since got elf, with loss of masts and some other trifling damage; Schooner Relief, of Bermuda, with a cargo of flour, corn, rice, tobacco, &c. also on shore, partly damaged, vessel much injured, and not in a state to be removed ; schooner Alicia, on shore; and sloop Relief, got off with little damage ; and schooner Good Intent, of Dernerra, likely to prove a total toss. Besides these, the schooner Fox, and a small vessel, called the Triumph, were thrown on shore at Calhaqua : and the sloops Messenger and Blenheim at Berrie ; hat the three former are now oil; and have suffered little injury. " Of the vessels that rode out the gale, the ship Westmore. land lost her rudder, and two or three droghing vessels cut away their masts, to cause them to ride more easily. A young man, named Donald M‘Donald, in the employ of James Grant, Esq. was unfortunately lost by the upsetting of a boat, in which lie was going off to the assistance of the sloop Re. trieve ; and one or two negroes, who accompanied him, were saved with great difficulty. " As evening approached the gale gradnally subsided, the wind becoming more southerly. " The acconitts front all parts of the country represent the damage sustained to have been considerable, particularly among the plaintain walks, great part of which are destroyed both to windward and leewai il. and the canes iii many places are much lodged, though we still apprehend upon the vs hole that the mischief which has befallen this island will prove little, when compared with what has lieen sidle' ed in those to the northward, from which we fear the most ilistressinz ac counts. Vessels that were at sea daring the gale, and since come in, represent the tcuipest to have been most severe to windward of the island, as also throughout the Grenadines in this Government ; but from Grenada we learn that its efeets were but partially experienced there, and that no injury of any COIISCIIIII'IIee was sustained." The following are from the Barbadoes papers : "111.tiiii.tuot:s, Excellency Lord Cownber• mere gave orders for dispatching the Duke of York to St. Luck, with such articles as could be procured for the imme diate relief of the sufferers. . . . _ " BARBADOES, OCT. 29. On Monday night, between 10 and II o'clock, a violent gale clm:mewed from the west, which agitated the sea to an alarming degree, by which the follou ing vessels were cast on shore between Martindale's watering place and the !vier head :—Sloops Earl Sandwich, Forrester, Thomas Spencer, and Economy ; schooners, Met thew King, Eliza, Lady Nelson, Fly, Hazard, Greyhound ; Adelphia ; and bath Crown Prince. 11 e understand however, that several of these vessels will be gotten off and repaired. GRENADA Orr. , 26.—0 n the 2i st inst. we were visited by one of the most tremendous storms ever witnessed by the oldest inhabitants of this colo4, Many of the houses in town have been much damaged, and much property has been destroyed. The effects of this dreadful storm have been felt in a calamitous degree all over the island. In the negro houses and gardens luxuriant cane pieces have disappeared, works and bridges destroyed ; and cattle and stock of every deseriptiou swept, away many persons lies lug lost nearly theLr all." Lord Combermere and smite arriveil at St. John's Anti gua, on the 16111 of November, in the Antelope, Admiral Harvey. A slight shock of an earthquake bad been felt in St. John's about teu o'clock in the night of the 14th of No vember. A few days since, as Mr. W. Wright of Sheffield, seem.. panied by his wife and a young 4.1111 d, was returning home in a gig, the horse took fright, and ram with such violence against ltlalin Bridge, about two miles front Sheffield. that they were all thrown out, when Mrs. W. who was far advanced in preg nancy, received so lm injury, that she died shortly after. The child escaped milintt. FIRE AT Kvur.E CART I.E.—Early on the morning of Christmas day a lire was discovered by the houstkeeper, in the state bed-room, called the Venetian - Chamber, an apartment highly decorated with the florid Gothic style of architectute. The dames were then nii,ing along the wainscot on the eastern wall ; she, with great presence of mind, Hew to the chamber in which slept the Earl of I)elawarre, instead of Earl Whitworth's; the cause of her selecting Lord Delawarre was in consequence of her manes being then con fined on a bed of sickness. Lord D. immediately erase, summoned the domestic establishment, and cooly directed them to take steps methodieally, to counteract the threatened devastation. By this ju dicious arrangement that venerable and notigniticent pile was saved from almost inevimble destruction. A plentiful supply of water quickly reduced the flames, which did not extend beyond the above apartment. Greatly to be regretted is a loss of a part of the very fino Gobelin tapestry • also several pictures, particularly do exqui site portrait of I.ady Ilume, daughter of the fourth Earl of Dorset.— The hanging 4 of the superb state-bed, and other articles, were wired. The damage to the room does not exceed Yoh What a providential circumstsnee it was that the family were then resident there! Had not that been the case, this building, the work of ages, together with all tli• pictures. st.ttues, vases, and other inestimable antiques, must have fallen a sacrifice to the devouring clement. We add, with great vleasure, that the alarm produced no ill ethaa on Lord Whitworth; bn the contrary, the shock seemed to have re-animated him, Mr he has been getting daily better ever since. The amiable Duchess of Dorset conducted herself with thegreatest intrepidity. Great praise is Due to Lunt Delawarre : also to every ser,ant in the household.— Atm. Mr. I. ANCI 14 I. V Ace DEN T,—.011 Friday morning a most me. lancholy accident occurred at Stamford, at the newly-erected min;- niticent hotel there,during the time Sir Rob•rt Heron was lodging in the haus?, accompanied by , everal of his friends on their canvass. The party had dined at the hotel on Thursday, laid sat late, so that some of the servants of the inn were not able to retire to rest till about half-past two o'clock on Friday morning. At that time Sarah Holden (a niece of Mrs. Pticst, landlady,) seventeen years old, and a char-woman, named Mary Hilthins, 50 years of age, took up stairs a pan of coals from the kitchen grate, and put them into the tire plata: of their chamber, for the purpose of warming their feet before they got into bed. Unfortunately the Hue of the chimney had been stopped up, and ronstamently the vapour front the hurningsoals misted Omn"' the chamber. The unfortunate women. exh a u ste d by a long da ys labour. sat down by the tire they !:ad provided, and were soon (as it RAP supposed) overcome by drowsiness. They slept to wake no more fin when at eight o'clock, Mrs. Priest went up to the chamber to call them. they were dead, caliwated by the ex halation from the coals. The young woman sat in the chair near the fire-place, her head reclining on her breast : die elder sufferer lav on the ground : both it is supposed by the medical gentleman who was immediately called in, bad been dead for several hours. floe di,tr,.ss occasioned in the inn by this accident can be but faintly , deseribed. Both the lifeless persons bail been on the previous night in perfect health and activity, and the younger was perhaps as line a woman as ever was seen. The other was the wife of Mr. Priest's head man on "his Ketton farm, and has lett a husband with three intants. Outof respect to so ntelsneholy a visitation, themovassing mStratford was suspended, and Sir K. Heron and his friends quit • tad the town. The Careners inquest. held in the course of the day, rctutned a ye:AU—Died plumy by suffocation. JAN 11. IMPROVEMENTS IN COVENT.GARDEN THEATRE. (IPROM THE JOURNAL 07 ACIENCE, Bcc.) . . . "The lighting, warming, and ventilation of this theatlive having attracted considerable attention, we have much pleasure in being able to tiirnisli our readers with a short ar. count of the methods by which such important desiderata have been so perfectly attained. " During the last season a number of experiments were in. stitnted by Mr. Harris with a view of introducing gas illumi nation : but on account of the beat and smell which it pro duced, the plan was postponed until the summer recess ad mitted of snore extended trials, which, as we need nut say, have been perfectly successful. '• The great central chandelier, containing eight• batswing burners, is suspended under a funnel which terminates upon the exterior ofthe building, so that the similar tote burned gas or any that might escape unburned is effectually carried away. The intense heat also occasions a considerable current of air, which rushing upwards, tends materially to the ventilation of the house; but besides this, ventilatots are placed in many parts of the building, which communicating with the great tube of the chandelier, are continually drawing foul air front the audience part of the house. Su that the gas light chande lier not merely illuminates, but is also a powerful agent in the ventilation of the theatre. " 'fbe fresh air with which the house is supplied, is admit ted at any desired tenweratere,an effect attained by air pipes and Moves placed at all the entrances, and under the different corridores of the pit and boxes, while the influx of cold air from the stage, which is often so annoying to the spectators upon dry drawing up of the curtain, is prevented by similar means ; but here in consequence of the danger which might accrue from stoves, on account of the inflammable nature of the machinery, the air is chiefly heated by steam, which is sup plied from an engine boiler securely placed in a vault near the stage entrance. . . " The gas, which is supplied by the Westminster Company, is conducted into the theatre by two threc•inch mains of cast iron, securely cased and defended from accident, and there are on the stage, proper register cocks, by which the intensity of the light may be regulated in every part of the building. " f n ease of any failure in the supply of gas, very ingenious means have been devised, by which the house may in a few minutes be lighted with candles in the usual nay. We under stand that Mr. Riddel, M. de Chabanues, and Mr. Symmons, are the persons whom Mr. Harris has employed in the eaa• union of these improvements. On Sundae the 4th inst. between eight and nine o'clock at night a hackney coach, after setting down a family in Gower street, Bedford square, was returning empty along Gower, place, where there are some new buildings ; when tee coach. man, and horses were precipitated into one of the cel lars. The coach was shattered to pieces, one of the horse* killed upon the spot, and the coachman and the other horse escaped with many bruises. Last week Louisa Robinson, who lived servant at the Star Hotel, in Shire-lane, Fleet-street, after the family were in bed, broke open several drawers and boxes, and stole 10 IL notes, 10 Sovereigns, 2 gold and 1 silver watches, a gold chain, and several articles of jewellery, plate, &c. to the amount of 2001. with which she decamped, and has not been heard of. ATTEMPT .tT Salami:—On Thursday week, about eight o'clock, the inhabitants of the Tower were alarmed by dread ful groans proceeding from the Tower ditch, and it was ascer tained that a woman was there. By the prompt aseistanee, however, of the soldiers, and of a poor sweep reading in Shire-lane, Temple•bar, she was got out and t e k eu t o at pub lic-house in the Tower, where the usual means recomarended by the Humane Society were resorted to with success, ender the direction of Dr. Hunter, oh the Tower. The account she gave of herself was, that her name was Herbert. and that she had foolishly throws herself from the ramparts into the ditch, with an intent to destroy herself. It is supposed she is at times insane. CAI TtO TO SERI - Atm .— On Aatnrday the 4th inst , about eight o'clock in morning. a manwho hail formerly been in the service of a respectable smith and heil-hanger, called at a house in the neizlibourhood of Trinity...quare, a here he had been occasionally employed, and was admitted by the servant, supposed that as the luck of the parlouroloor required repair he had been sent to do the job ; when he contrived during her absence, to steal a great coat, a hat, and two silver spoons, with which he escaped. His MUM: is known, and measures have been taken fur his discovery and apprehen sion. DR EA OFCL EFFECTS 01 , GCISPOWDER.—The following circumstance is made piiiiiie as a caution to those persona who are in the habit of selling gunpowder to children, the practice of which justly deserves reprobation, settine aside the illegality ui it, as a consult table penalty is thereby In curred. On Tuesday afternoon last a son of Mr. Richard Hunt of Mousey, about eight yews of age, with some other children, purchased sonic gunpowper at the shop of Mr. W. Webb, and some of the family furnishing them with fire, they (children like) retired so the back part of the premises to amuse themselves; when the above-mentioned child kneeled down to blow the powder, and it unfortunately exploded ie. his face. He now lies a shocking spectacle to behold, being dreadfully scorched from his chin to his eyebrows and tore. head ; hopes are however indulged that he will not entirely lose his eye sight, which is some consolation to his distressed parents. . . _ On Sunday the 4th inst. at Captain Coeksedge's near Bury, a couple of woodcocks were shot by George 'Wive, Esq. of Roughain, at one discharge of a single barrel. Kt DNAPPERS.—A few days ago Daniel and Sarah Sulivan, the children of a poor man residing in Bed Lion-alley, Cow-cross, the girl about nine and the boy about seven years of age, were enticed away by a woman, who was seen purchasing apples for them in Smithfield, and who took them down Barbican. The poor children's parents have made every inquiry in vain for th em ; an d a l t h oug h a reward has been off e r e d by the parish, they have not yet been heard of. The body of Mr. D. the gentle:ram who has been sometime miss: ing from the Isle of Thanet, has at leAgth been leund in the Thames, at Putney, at which place a Coroner's inquest was held on Wed nesday last. The .lure, after a most attentive and laborious investigation, were completely satisfied that Mr. D. was drowned ac cidentally. It appears that the bridge is on the Putney side very badly lighted, and there is a regular descent from the street to the river, NI that a pencil mat with the place could scarcely fail of stepping into the wat..r, nutted of going upon the bridge. Tie ,trie.g fight reflected from the Fulham side only makes the place t tc more Idangerous, a, it Lzales without illuminating the oppo rte shore. The jury gave notice to the high AA:table, that unless so tie weans were taken to preve.ht a recurrence of such accidents, le,pl mcatugcs would be re onkel to again. t the bridge cenirunh I VITA.