The Express.
London, England, 1850-04-22 00:00:00

WEST INDIA AND MEXICAN
MAILS.

TORNADO AT NASSAU.--GREAT FIRE
TRINIDAD.
_

The Royal West India mail packet Avon, Captain
Haat, arrived at Southampton with the West India'
aod Mexican • mails, yesterday, at 7 a.m., sad th.„
were landed in charge of Lient. South, R.N., Ada
ratty agent. Her dates are—Vera Cruz, March 19.
Tampfoo,lB ; Havannab, 28 ; Honduras,l3 ; Jamaixi,
25 ; St. logo de Cuba, 22; Demerara, 21 ; Trinidad,
23 ; Bar babes, 27 ; Antigua, 29; Martinique, 297
Orenada, 25 ; Porto Rico, 25; St. Thomas, 31; N,
eau, 31; Bermuda, April 7.
The Avon brought home 330,000 dollars from
Tampico sad Vera Cruz, 81,505 of which are on •
count of Mexican dividends. The purer of the Ai
was not aware that any further remittance in biiiti
account of the dividends was on board. He believed
there was not, because be had heard nothing tror
Messrs. Macintosh and Co. on the subject. She
also on board a large cargo of jalsp, totrteco, ei;
arrowroot, succades, vemells, turtle, and 101

sengers.
The Avon came home in 14 days : she made
miles in 24 hours on the 15th.
As the Avon was approaching Nassau from .
vannah, on the 29th and 30. h of March, she ezpe.
rienoed moat strange and fearful weather. The be.
rometer fell to an extraordinary degree, fierce goats r
wind swept over her, and she was deluged
On arriving at Nassau, on the 31st, it was fund
a terrible tornado had passed over the is
the day before, and had swept the strong
buildings and gigantic trees from rff
ezrth. Every vessel in the harbour, alth•
they had not a shred of canvas on, were blown d•.
and literally buried in the water, while the tornado
wee rushing over them. Even a new vessel that
on the stocks was turned completely over. Suet
theextreme rapidity of the tornado in passing on
island, that from the mom..nt it was experienePd
proacking, to the instent it had vanished, sew
one minute had elapsed. In the twinkling of an
as it were, it had swept over the Warta with a
and fatal swoop, and had prostrated houses, de,
fated fields, and destroyed human life.
It appears that for three days before the for
happened the weather had been rainy at Nassau.
The showers were, however, genial, and were
infinite service to the soil, which was hard
thirsty. On the fatal Saturday, toe 3() h," tie (
says an eye-witzo se, " was ushered in Crk
cloudy, and the lowering horizon menaced rain.
the day wore on the clouds thickened, and the
ablut mid-day began to fall in torrents. At a (I,
to I in the afternoon there was a sudden lu:,.
horisoa became darker than before. The bar,
fell to 29.74, and suddenly there was ' as the fl
a mighty river.' On it came in irre,istible am
stroying strength from the sc.uth-west. I;ains
first felt its fatal influence. A great 1:,,r
the frail houses of the poor iticlustruriu,
boaters and artisans residing in that loci
bent and fell beneath the prostrating blast, bur
in their ruins the hale and vigorous man at
we,k and tender child. The spectacle was the ti
I ever beheld; near fifty houses must hay<
thrown down. It was over the ruins of fallen

and cabins, and over the mutil.ttel fragments
nituro with which the roads and paths were sti
that I had to wend my way. Lamentation and
ing reached me as I neared some prostrated du,
I saw the dead bodies of two men and four cl.
and two women who had received frightful injt
Grant's Town preserts a mournful picture;
excellent substantial buildings have been pal
demolished. Tree ruins were apparent on every
In many of the yards were fragmt nth of house'
had been blown there by the wind fr. m a d star
more then a quarter of a mile! Tne conk
turret of the cnitf justice's hoes,. was hurled
ground, which it covered with its fragoment•.
of the shingles were torn off the body
house by the force of the wind. The wal
fences in the neightourhood were prostrated.
kitchen in Mr. Tyne's yard, and an outbuilding.
thrown down, and the eastern p.irtion
Mr. Armbuster'e residence received injury.
Fulford's house in East Shirley-street, and Mr.
by's in Culmer-street, were blown down. Mrs.
ford, with one of her children, was in her hose

it fell, but escaped. In East Bay-street sevtrai
bourn had come to the knutd.
The admiralty agent and several of the offi(
the Avcn went over the ruins. It appears trot
observations that the breadth of space ewer 01
the tornado was not very great, but the Irma.
power of the latter, and the shortness of its dui
we. e most extraordinary. A small compact In
which formed a blacksmith's shop—in lac ,
box, built with stone and brick in the most r
manner—was literally torn to pieces acid swept
The governor of the Bahamas had a r arrow e,
he was just about to take luncheon, but ddaye,
so while he finished a letter; just at :bet ra,
the tornado came, and swept that parion
house where his luncheon was pruri.'e,!. atm'.
twenty-aix years since Nassau was
juelly-dreaded tornado, the dire ecou•ge

tropics.
At the request of the governor the Aar:
agent delayed the departure of the Avon a tew
to answer correspondence, because the Arc' k;,l
dt liver the mail from England to Nassau on
ward paaesge. When the Avon left Nearer
dead bodies had been found, and eight or tor. pi
had been discovered dangerously wounded.
A terrible fire took place in Port of Spain.
dad, on the 7th ult., which destroyed rope
the amount of 12,000/. reeling. No sueb
happened there since 1808. Had it not been
miracle almost, the whole of the valuable per
the business part of the town—the substantial
Ingo and the immense amount of property
in them—must have been comurued to
and many of the most prosperous
chants reduced to bankruptcy, and rt
lees families involved in the general be,
and ruin. The fire broke out, there is ceery rea
believe, accidentally, at about eleven o'clock .
night of the 7th ult., and was not got under
six o'clock the following morning. It coalmen.
Marine-square, between Wainrighie and Spat
stores. As soon as the fire was discovered the
bells on all the churches and chapels rang on.
flambee of the engines were drawn to the spot
portion of the 72nd and 2nd regiments were
there also to work the engines and guard the
perry. The police, the stipendiary magistrat
colonial secretary, and the Attoruey-Uenero
rushed to the spot for the same purpose. Wann
stores, wherein 1,000 barrels of tiaur stood, Cu,'
and Sauvag.ee's stores, Craddock's hotel, and t;
residence were destroyed. The erdnance depat
with a large quantity of shells loaded for use.
variety of other ordnance store., were at one
great peril. The shells were conveyed away.
puncheons of ruin were rolled on the quay
thrown into the sea if necessary. The lowtr
of the Port of Spain behaved nobly in ret
assistance ; even women were seen working i
men, and many of those engaged
Trinidad riots, six months ago, were seen lal
disinterestedly in removing and guarding It
and stores, and though they had an opporti
purloining to an immense amount, nothing wt
As soon as the fire was visible to the shipping
harbour all the crews of the merchant vessel
ashore, and rendered efficient assistance.
Everything is going on favourably at
Lord Harris is still highly popular. About
hogsheads of sugar will be made this season. •
the passengers by the Avon is a negro gent
Doctor J. 11. Vries, M.D., who visits Eng,
submit to the government a plan, founded on se
experiments, to supersede steam as a Prol
power.
Amongst the passengers by the Avon is CI
der Michell, late in the command of 11.M.5.
who has b.,eu dismissed her Majesty's i.eiv
sentence of court withal at Jamaica fur rurni
Sappho ashore near Honduras. The serum
been much criticised in the West Indies. It tv
sidered most severe.. The neighbourhood of Ik
is the most dangerous and ditlieult to navigate
western world. There was an irregol.mi
it is stated, in the formation of thr
which t. it CouttrAnder M.ehal, two ,111 e,,
sat on it fee one ship; and ic is asser4l
commander was convicted ou the evid nee f
his subordinate cili,ers, whose chargcs
commander were declared by the s
frivolous and malicious. Commander 'l