The Express.
London, England, 1856-08-29 00:00:00

THE EARTHQUAKE AT ALGIERS.

The following letter, published by the Sonaphore
of Marseilles, contains some interesting particulars
of the late earthquake at Algiers. A few slight
shocks were oleo felt on the European cast, wipa
dully about Nice.

PHILIPPEVILLB, Aro. V.
Last Thanday night a vi.lent shock et euthqsake,
which lasted for thirty or forty seconds, etrack the popula-
tion of this place with terror. It was about half-put tea
o'clock. Time was a performance at tbe theatre that evening,
and at the first shaking, the sodium, seized with the great-
est fright, began to leave the theatre.

Thenight issued over with only HMO alight oscillations;
bet cut day, at twenty minutes before noon (the ;peat
sleek of the hospital is still minding at that hoar).
a new isommotion, more violent than that of the
preeeding isysnieg, was felt. Happily it did not last long;
but every one harried to quit his dwsllieg holm, and the
public plates ware in as instant covered with distressed
women and astonished mtn. The most exaggerated rumours
began to be spread about, and already the people biked ad
no Ism than the downfall of entire streets at ono* ; bat when
quiet was restored we had the gratification to lemma that the
mischief, though it was really very groat, was much leas
micas than had been feared,

Many of the house had been marked, others had bad all
their interior partitions thrown down, and is short the
damages sustained were very numerou. At °rims two
magnifloisat buildiogs, worth 100,700 f. or 160,000 E, wells
shatte►ed. There is a rumour of mural hums on the hill
having ban demolished, bat as yet we bare no detels
about that.

On Friday afternoon some little movement' were again
felt, and the people expected with groat uneasiness, the
coming on of the night. A violent commotion was apprt •
bonded, and consequently a horrible catastrophe, for it was
very certain that a renewal of the earthquake would cave
the fall of a greet many house,.
. . .

Te provide for what might happen, the authorities pub-
lished a notice, desiring the inhabitants not to pass the
eight la their house. and they distributed among
the people es many tents as could be prepared. The hospi-
tele and the barracks were both suet d. The offices of the
local functionaries, the police, the eons prefecture, and the
enb-cilvialee, were removed to open-air encampments. All
the people ley down in the public places, awaiting with =ie.
glad anxiety and alum the rising of the moos.
At eleven o'clock every eye was turned towards
that lualaary, the appearance of which might bring:them
such great misfortunes ; they looked to see the houses
crumble, the earth open beneeth them*, and the terrible re-
membrenee of the disasters of Guadeloupe and Hecate& pre.
seated itself before every wird.
Bat, thanks to heaven, the night was favourable ; some
slight shocks, indeed, were spoken of, but they had no dims-
trout effect, and indeed they were not perceived by all.
Amongst the buildings which base suffered most we may
named the Hotel of the Commandent, which his been say
much damaged ; the pediment of the church clock tower
has fallen down with the cornice beneath It, and the steeple
itself is completely shattered.
New, after two days and nights of anguish and painful
emotiots, we feel cola ones more ; the weather is refresh-
tag, and It raise. We hope this dreadful trial is over, and
every one is returning to his home. We are happy to be
able to elate that so lose of Hie is known to have occurred.
The telegraph informs us that Constantine and Boa&
have experienced shocks, but without much damage.
Some extraordinary phenomena have been observed. On the
road from Pitilippeville to Constantin, the earth has bees
torn into crevice& In several plum, and from 0115 of them
there was a discharge of w.ter to the height of one metre
and a half, but a moment afterwude this was batted in
mad, which lay two metres thick.