The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-11-22 00:00:00

LARTIIQL'AX IN TRINIDAD.

Iprom the ninidad Gareth. of Sept. 21.1
The visitation occurred, according to the time on the
town clock, at a quarter past nine o clock last night, and
szeorrhug to the mean time, by Captain Lawrence's (of his
oijesry.'s ship Eden) chronometer, at a quarter of an hour
before ten. The direction of the shock appeared generally
s, he from east by north to west by south, although in
nor pieces it would seem to be almost due north and
south, It came on with little if any rumbling noise or
miter usual indication of earthquakes.
A, Is to duration, there appeared to be almost as many
• silt there are personsseconds appear to be the
on
sher,eat time ascribed to it, but we have heurd many well-
idolised persons contend that it lasted theca minutes. We
have sot heanl that any chasm or opening of the ground
; nor does the pavement of the streets appear
to be▪ in any instance disjointed.
',appeared not to have arrived at its full strength until
tome seconds before it entirely subsided. Had it continued
,alt the same violence a few sec nds longer, we are per-
vaded that few stone houses in the town of Port of Spain
would bare stood the shock. Seat cely a house in town has
„japed damage; many are rent to such a degree as to
reuderlthem uninhabitable without considerable danger.—
The upper part of the gable ends of se%eral houses fell
drop. In every part of the town sheds and walls are !e-
-arliest, arul accounts of clocks fallen from their stands,
bottles, china, and glass-ware, broken, are innumerable.
In many instant., s, tables, bedsteads, and other heavy ar-
t.des of furniture were removed front their places or turned
round.
The seat of his Excellency the Governor at Ann's has
pima severely, and it is said to be rent and disjointed in
won' places. The servants' apartments are also greatly
kook and a considerable quantity of glass-ware, &c., is
broken.
That nest and elegant building, our Protestant Church,
is considerably damaged. The top of the north-west
sionscle oldie north tower was precipitated to the ground,
and` fell several yards to the westward of the foot of the
tower; a part of the south-west pinnacle fell on the roof
of the church, and forcing through, dislodged one of the
rafters, which, falling into the building, destroyed three of
the Dews. The two pinnacles to the eastward are corn-
pleteiy shattered, and appear only to be prevented from fall-
ing by the strong iron bars in their centre which are fixed
in the lattletnents. The tower itself is completely rent
through in several places. and the town clock is so much
injured, that it must undergo a thorough repair. The pin-
rides of the south tower are also very seriously injured,
sod erne of the buttresses are cracked.

0—
The buildings intends d to b- converted into a new Court-
house are considerably damaged ; and the present Court-
house has also received several trifling rents.
The chimney of the " Rookery," the residence of Henry
Fuller, Esq. his Majesty's Attorney-General, fell down, to-
gether with many others in town.
The new Roman Catholic Church appears to have
escaped entirely ; and in the east end of King-street little
atnage has been sustained. In the market place several
galleries were thrown down, and the house of the clerk of
M.:market seriously injured.
The house of Mr. Cipriani, and that occupied by
Mews lValrond, Johnston, and Co., are rendered until-
habitsbk, and, we understand, that both must be partially
taken down and rebuilt. The upper part of the gable of
the house occupied by Dr. Anderson, sen_ in Frederick-
street, fell on the roof, and shattered the whole of the ex-
tensive shell in the Venelue-yard. The south gable of the
adjoining house. occupied by John Edmondson, Esq., also
fell. In the same street, the roof of Mrs. Fell's house ex-
perienced a like fate, by the falling of part of the gable of
the adjoining house. In the two apothecary stores in Fre-
derick-street, considerable damage was sustained by
breakage ; and the roof of a large back Store of Messrs.
Cowie MAlliater, and Co. entirely fell in.
So far u the accounts which have been receiveel from
the country go, the shock appears to have been general
throughout the Island. A gentleman resident at Chagua-
nu was elskets oat of his bed ; and the chimney of the
boilipg-house, en the Streatham Lodge Estate, Tacarigna,
was Asked down, and also several of the negro-houses. It
appears to have occasioned very considerable alarm among
tie DegrOcii on the estates.

NJ lives were lost, and we are only aware of two persons
being seriously injured. the of these is a Mr. Bass, who
saiiks in the market-place ; he was in bed when the shock
Usk place, and one of the rafters which supported the roof
laving given way, it and the left-hand side of the wall fell
ea the bed ; he was very seriously bruised on the head,
knit, and limbs, but as no surgeon had been called in
warn we saw him, we cannot say whether any bones were
hraken. Mr. Tholostaii, jon. was seriously injured on the
'Skied head, although fortunately no bones are broken,
}vine sprung from his gallery, about 13 feet, to the ground.
lied the event taken place in the day time, we are con-
vinced that many serious accidents would have been occa-
sioned by the materials of the falling buildings.
The shock was felt as severely in the harbour aeon shore.
Ire are informed that several persons on board the vessels
in the harbour were thrown out of their berths. We are
assured by some of the oldest inhabitants that this is the
severest slack which has been felt in this island since their
residence here, and, we repeat, that we cannot be suffi-
ciently grateful that it subsided at the moment it did, and
we; unattended with storms and the othet usual accompa-
tan.nts of earthquake, which generally occasion more da-
ma;:s than the earthquake itself.
A gentleman who was on horseback- on his way from St.
hail, was not aware of the event until informed of it on
his arrival in town, when he recalled to his recollection
the his Lone bad started, at the time which corresponded
with that of the shock. As animals are by instinct parti-
cularly rtsivptible of theca occurrences, we have little
doubt that the horse was aware of the shock which escaped
the notice of the rider. And a person, who was crossing
Brunswiek-square at the time, describes that he felt the
game sensation as is caused in a boat, by the motion of the
waves. He also states that the houses on the north side
of the square appeared to undulate and rock with great
violence.

The shock of last night appears to have occasioned more
damage than any former one with which this island has
hil.n suited since it was settled.

Phis tisitation was preceded by very hot weather, and
a Might shock is said to have been felt by many at four,
and nether at eight o'clock yesterday morning. We are
sot of a foreboding disposition, and still less inclined to
112fue dread or apprehension in the minds of the public,
but ire eannot help remarking that the weather during this
day. and the Atte of the atmosphere, which is always re-
miakel to hart a close connexion with this description of
aparulsiocs of nature, corresponds very closely with what
is recorded to have intervened between the shocks of earth-
Takes in other places, which have been attended with much
consequenees.
II feel considerable anxiety until we hear from St.
and the neighbouring islands and opposite Conti-
-e these catastrophes are much more frequent and
e than iu Trinidad.
whole we cannot but attribute the comparative
nt of the damag: in town to the intervention of
:, and the strength and solidity of the buildings.
•m,rura Cioze!:e of the 21st of Slitembcr states,
le preceding evening, at ten minutes past ten
matt shock of an earthquake was felt in that
It commenced with a tremulous agitation of the
,mipailied by a rumbling noise, resembling dis-
irregular thunder. This was succeeded by a
and fro of the buildings, after which followed an
g motion, producing a sensation not much unlike
Is is felt on board a small boat, when in the ripple
, mrrent. Its direction was W.N.W and E.S.E.
occupied between three and four minutes. The
at the time blowing a pleasant breeze from N.E.
n'sphere in the zenith—cloudy (cumulus) to the
td—dark low stratus clouds to the Eastward. The
ter stood at eighty-four degrees. The shock was
'e than has been known for many years before.
igtft tremor was felt exactly one hour after-
lowed by several gusts of wind. We are appre-
at much mischief will be done in the islands.
. shock of an earthquake was felt at Barbadoes on
Se?t., but no injury followed.

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