The Express.
London, England, 1851-06-21 00:00:00

THE EARTHQUAKE AT VALPARAISO.

From a psasenger who was at Valparaiso during
the earthquake on the 2nd of lut April, we learn
that 260 houses were so much injured that they
were quite unsafe and must come down. No lives
were lost, but a great deal of property waa de-
stroyed in the houses injured by the heavy rain that
fell immediately after the shock.

The event is thus described in the Valparaiso
Yereantile Reporter of April 26 :
Oa the 2nd et Aga at six thus quarters am., Valps-
aim woe Molted by another of them hada calamities so
Wiis wirmle newatries.
dish most seven oho& whisk bee boss felt since the
irsallEthquske of the par 1132, whim Valparaiso was
totally destrsysk km ens lei • panic hardly
walla by any hew event.
• memo trembling of the earth of 15 to 20 emends dura-
*eh esocedod by lee violent shocks, whisk kited about
two mutes, mg appeal as me meet, beam is them
whose lives send ripely wee eallmeeesil. MI fa the&
short male et Oise elm wend dealings and mimed
norm& el • *lied natenable ; and bad it unpinned
but s lbw ineeMbligeffie Mare is no doubt that wig die-
' Monne aloft vadrhast bees prods's' es byik• forth-
guile igaavotenlinionling that at lab yeemknee
',los beta etparieg *see situated is the pert, moth
Imam 1111111mady, end on priaciplas afford-
ppeetartratie et serarity.
anew et eheele• was meth mid eon* bat its
Aimee was set evB4Wl ow sag pas =tent
e=
l
s I mod Ohm pima to the
it wail 111111111.116 frees the
Snit are equally and Ihe lbws that wen
I entertained for Cdly maned so se-
lamely in 1835) havalVeZ tre mutely groundless.
lit was distinctly felt st see 4111 dr alums of forty miles
'ma the coast, and its Aims on IMerd the vessels are
lea abed as being very simian to the grating noise pro-
ihreed by strikes( ea a test et melts. Aim* lead was hove
hem Or .tesedum hlple Ilentereomi we with great
Idling/ hauled la; the marablea et the bottom of the
sea having caused it to sink three feet in the sand. The
weather during the morning was sultry and oppressive, but
the thermometer did not indicate any considerable increase
in the temperature of the atmosphere.
The motion of the earth was observed to be less violent
in some parts than in others not a hundred yards distant ;
so much so, that old and decayed houses stood the shock
better than others newly built, and those houses in the
structure of which the most timber had been employed re-
mained with little injury.
During the eventful it seconds the houses rocked too and
fro as so many newels at sea.
Not a breath of air was perceptible during the whole of
the day, and slighter shocks continued at 6.46 minutes 6. iii
minutes, 8.55 minutes, 10.55 minutes, and have continued
ever since of more or less strength and duration, and at this
moment of writing, on the 7th inst. at 11 p.m., a short but
violent shock has driven the panic stricken inhabitants into

the strata.
Few holm I. the port have suffenalmucla injury, the da-
:md having been chiefly confined to the stashing of
si
wok, bed without AIM*, the Eof
the bm=themeelees; the only bermeee reported se
in a dangerous elate are these eseigsbeil by Messrs. Gibbs
sad Co., and hempen, Wilma, and Cs.
The Cueeneellsene handinialsoe anairsil comparatively
little, Mae 4,se.semnueled entweed ---cosh have
been demdsianksd past al the roof amnia shag with
them; the subespeent amnesia, however, enthe 4th inst.,
is supposed tants demagai a number of packages of geode,
the extent of white Ins led. however, yet been ascertained.
A few houses, situated an the hill known ea the Mai/estop,
• sailors' resort, ems tuatblift down with a mesh.
the beach, however, and the A7msaieel. the damage=
has been considerable, the grouted Mktg hen lbla ; upwards
of two hundred houses are realigned uninhabitahle and
nearly as many families have been consequently reduced to
the necessity of bivouacking—some in the streets, others in
the doorways of their ruinous dwellings.
On the following day the space forming the Flue de la
Victoria was entirely occupied by tents and wooden houses,
various parts of the hills surrounding the town were also
studded with them, affording a temporary refuge to those
whose habitations had been destroyed, or whom terror
prevented from remaining in their houses. A considerable
number of persons have for some days taken up their quar-
ters on board; the ship-masters of all nations having
promptly and generously offered such accommodation as
their Yemen afforded to those who needed it.
Much damage has been done in stores where liquids,
glees, earthenware, the., are kept. We are happy to my
not a single life has been lust, nor can we bear of • severe
fracture. On the 4th inst., et twelve o'clock, p.m., it began
to rain heavily, and continued to do so for nearly twelve
hoar', which cooled the atmosphere considerably, but
caused much additional damage in houses whose roofs and
walls had been already injured by the earthquake and
compelled those who had taken refuge in the plaza and
were living in tents, to leave and seek shelter in the
theatre, or with friends in the port. The loss is generally
estimated, including the damage done to buildings at
nearly one million dollars.
The principal public buildings which have suffered are
the custom-house, the Merced and Matrix churches, the
euartel of the national guard, the hospital, and the church
of St. Domingo.
' The scarcity of houses, so much felt before the earth-
quake by the fast increasing population of our city, hae
. now reached its climax.
Commissioners have been appointed to examine the edi-
fies., and to condemn those which are in a dangerous con-
dition. It is to be hoped that the constructors of houses
will he in future more careful in the choice of materials,
and study the mode best adapted for building in a country
so subject to these visitations, as also that they will not trust
too much to the received idea that those violent shocks only
occur once in every twenty or thirty years.
We were pleased to see the activity manifested both in
the last tire and after the earthquake to repair the damage
done. Almost within an hour atter the catastrophe we saw
the workmen busy clearing the roofs of broken tiles, and
the Amen of rubbish, and we think that the Unlearns tom
an honourable exception to the indolence with which the
Spanish race is generally reproached.
Anthers has only been interrupted for one day (the ens-
tentrbeewe having been closed by order of the Intendente)
bat has naturally suffered much by this occurrence.
111111111/.11 of Casa Blanca situated about thirty miles
hum Ibises the Santiago road also suffered severely, and
a gam number of houses were thrown down by the violence
oftheebsek.
The Image done in Santiago is similar to that in Valpa-
raiso, with the exception that as there are a greater number
of public buildings in the capital, the pecuniary loss must
be more severe.
The principal buildings more or less damaged are
the Mint, a lemel building, in part occupied as the resi-
des., of the president, the Cathedral, the churches of San
Freesia" of the Compania, the old palace completely
ruined, and a portion of the buildings occupied as govern-
ment Miss.
The village of Renee, situated in the suburbs of Santiago,
has been partially destroyed, and • singular phenomenon
wee observed about three leagues from that city, where the
wand opened la several plains, and considerable quanti-
ties of hot water were throws up.
Let us hope that years may elapse ere we are again
visited by sea a 1111sfortase, and thank God for the com-
paratively adhl seneequences of an event which might have
proved wore diseshans.

/311/111WICH ELECTION, YESTERDAY. A ma-
im* the elesters was held last evening, at the Given-
wisg i Llfi=missts twn i, for the purpose of hearing the
is of Alderman Salemons, as a candidate
grel 'on of the borough of Greenwich. The
wee crowded by an audience of more than
pewee. The c was taken by John Ilan, Frq.,
wise briefly Mated the eljesee of the wasting. Aldensea
Ilidemons stele* that • elteet time mime loving beard Om
measurce were Is progress to memo Os return of a near
her (or Gresawlek he had thought it ammeary to commas
a meeting of the deeMrs in that Hall, ia order to redeem
the pledge he had made on a former stemelea, that ia the
event of a name, be would again Delimit the ael)teges of
the electom tithe borough of Oressiwids. Thu disesem of
their lass seepemal seembcr, Sir. Blimard, had calmed
mad he am there to rods= his pledge
Ho 710=t at awe osplaia his
great Sigler of the day. The eadrago, is Mriaphdes.7hould
be extended to every poem worthy of poseesslm each a
privilege, within' reegret to reek or steiiem. The earn
laws, he lamed. is rams he arlimasold,, somistuttly
with the geese umd=ty of the = If smarmed
t,
to parliamen he that. se sup-
port as party ea adaistry, tattle vele be aerhing ia
the shops of • masagelg la lead. At the bet abeam, he
beams • amdidele Ise Osmswich la mereguesee et se
•ea ea
of le 4000 olessem. Altheagh
as. el the no of the devil
seveenl palms=
wen saw see M. Wiee's seemeileor, be selassi
moms the leamili alas esedved meek •
It was dorsi that, if eluted, he geoid ant Ishisiltirt:
Ho was mend to mew theta thee. if sleeted, he would
isla bin sees, sad wee maid Is dr ee hp the me whisk
ma pared in
.180, mad whlsh plead Ms Jews ea
the ems as "when sad other sepastira.
He was reedy, if le leis Rah eras se •
would take, sad to take seer la the Hams of
if rejected. he would ismsdiMely sesta lie true
Voice—. When r• Akhema Ihimeme—A• seas as you
like. (Chows.) Boma lotheddld W lam slimed by a
great conatituacy, and led losaw=est the ear-way
of the Home of commess, se a to Whet seem-
tummies. He was es be obrerid. ast Is la marred
in the maw way. .) The alieemea them after
some further semeell hid oust midst lead &sem
In answer to wasetiewa the eldseeses stated, that with a
large reteadm of the sip Ire did wit cambia. the
belkt memilek bat, iteelamil. awl bie amelitammywhirod
It, be wield Me*, the Wit Wilk NNW to papal og-
le era fir elikletee Has" Is ul msa—sethe-
N.aa eat ewe *mete and the eroes-dro
of lb. Alden. wipe. amolltea he was he Lis play
ism he did ate mod say puma Is lerseergt Mr. Wires art-,
ovesisi. Oa the aralsa Mr.llayes.
by Mr. De my a resderlsa was amt.
sle!ek silsgled, *deft the weft is mow the ream
Uwe isms womb then given Re
eemdliak mai the mates end,

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, JUNE 21, 1851.