The National Register.
London, England, 1812-05-31 00:00:00

THU,' NATIONAL REGISTER.

MAY 3l.

DREADFUL EARTHQUAKE.

The Chichester packet is arrived at Falmouth, with a
mail from the Leeward Islands. She brings a confirma-
tion of the report (received last week, but not then cre-
dited) of an earthquake at the Carraccas, in which up•
wards If 10,000 persons were momentarily engulphed
alive. The particulars are contained in the following
extract from The St. Thomas's Gazette of the 9th April :

The 26th March has been a day of woe and horror to the pr9vince
of Venezuela. At four o'clock, p. m. the city of Caraccas stood in all
its splendour. A few minutes later, 4:00 houses. 19 churches and
convents, together with all the other public buildings, moifumcnts,
&c. were crushed to atoms by a sudden shock of an earthquake, which
did not last a minute, and hurried thousands of its devoted inhabit-
ants in ruin and desolation. That day happened to be Holy (or
Maundy) Thursday, and at the precise hour of every place of wor-
ship being crowded to commemorate the commencement of our Sa-
viour's Passion by public procession, which was to proceed through
the streets a few minutes afterwar!s, augmented the numbers of hap-
less sufferers to an incredible amount, as every church was levelled
with the ground, before any person could be aware of danger. The
number of sufferers taken out 14f one of the churches, amounting (two
days after the disaster) alone to upwards of 360 corpses, besides those
who, it may be presumed, could not yet have been dug out of such
heaps of ruins, gives an idea of the extent of the caiamity. The num-
ber of dead are differently stated from Beer to .:r r, and as far as 8000.—
Terrible as this catastrophe appears, it would be a matter of some
consolation to know, that the vicinity of the city offered some support,
or shelter to the surviving mourners; but the next town and seaport
thereto, viz.—La Guiara has, in proportion, suffered still more; along
its immediate coast larate masses of the mountains have been de-
tached from the summits, and hurled down into the vallies ; deep
cliffs, and separations, of the immense bed of rocks. still threaten fu-
ture disasters to the hapless turvivors, who are now occupied in
burying and burning the dead, and in relieving the mamerous maimed,
perishing for want of medical aid, shelter, and other comforts.
" If any particular class has suffered more than another, it may be
inferred, that it must be the clergy, who, at the time, were necessarily
assembled in the churches; and the superb bar racks at Caraccas, con-
taining two battalions of veterans, and the artillery corps, preparing
for the procession, being laid fiat, it is presumed, that the whole
have, in one moment, fallen victims to this terrible visitation of the Al;
mighty.
The inland towns and villages of the Pro Vince, and the more
distant seaports of Porto Cabello, Cumana, Barcelona, Scc. it Is pre-
sumed, may have suffered less."

FURTHER PARTICULARS.
Eltract of a Letter from Captain Cuthbert, of the ship Highlander,
• dated La Guayra, April I, 1812:
" Since my arrival here, one of 'the greatest calamities has occurred
at this place that ever happened in any country. On the 26th ult. whilFt
on board, I heard a most dreadful report of an earthquake : it lasted, as
nearly as my recollection will serve, about two minutes. I soon learnt
that the town of La Guayra was lai,l in ruins, and that numbers of the
inhabitants were killed and buried in them. The city of Caraccas, I un-
derstand, has experienced a still worse tate, and has been totally aban-
doned by the unfortunate inhabitants. The rocks and mountains were
rent asunder; and it is impossible for pen to describe the devastation
occasioned by this horrible explosion. The cargo which I was to have
taken on board has shared the fate of all the goads in the city, and has
been swallowed up in the general ruin. When the shock was first felt
on hoard, every person was impressed with the feeling that the ship was
beating to pieces on the rocks. On my going on shore, the most awful
and afflicting scene presented itself; hundreds of the suffering
inhabi-
tants were seen mixed with heaps of ruins, and many of them stilt yet
alive with their heads out, imploring assistance from their fellow-citi-
zens, who, instead of affording them aid, were throwing themselves
prostrate before images, beating their breasts, and imploring for them-
selves the protection of their Saints.. When the alarm had in some de-
gree subsided, the bodies of the dead were sought for; but I have not
bearable to ascertain the extent of the loss which this hapless city has
sustained.

BALTIMORE, APRIL 20.---Arrived this morning the schooner Inde•
;cadence in 15 days from Laguira. By Capt. Beth, we leatn that en
the 25th March, at four o'clock p. m. there was a shock of an earth-
quake, which destroyed nearly the whole of the city of Caraccas, and
ill the town of Laguira, with all the neighbouring villages; about
10,900 were buried in the ruins ; 2,400 in Laguira ; one American only
Perished a Mr. Cromwell, of New York ; four shocks were heard and
trit On the following night, not heavy enough to do any damage.
On the 29th tilt. all the people that were living were employed in
Vag up the dead from under the ruins, putting them into large lighters,
carrying them outside the shipping and throw big them in the sea. On
the 30th the sea was rough so as to prevent their taking off the deal ;
tbeh built a large fire near the wharf, and .ciansnencad burning

327

them at about 40 at a time in one fire. On the 29th the stench became

so bad that they quitted digging any more from under the ruins. All
the inhabitants that were living pitched their tents on the Plains of Ma-
gotese. On the 4th April there was a very heavy shock that made the
vessels tremble as if they had been on a reef of rocks in a heavy sea,
and from on board the independence we could 'tee large pieces rolling off'
them. At half-past live, the Independence sailed, so that we could not
ascertain what damage was done.