The National Register.
London, England, 1821-10-28 00:00:00



JAMAICA P,ILIERS.

KINGSTON, SEPT. I.—An eclipse of the sun was
♦isible in this city on Monday. It commenced at
20 minutes before eight, and was over at 20 minutes
atter ten, am.
Tuesday being set apart, by law, to be observed
as a ',vie= fast, in commemoration of the great
storms in 1712 and 1722, divine service was per-
formed in the church of this city, when the Rev.
Mr. Munn delivered an impressive and suitable dis--
course on the occasion.

Destructive Drouehi.—Accounts from the coun-
try of the effects of this direful calamity are daily
becoming more distressing. Suck a continuance of
dry weather was never before witnessed by the old-
est inhabitants: springs, never known to have failed
before, are dried up; canes in many districts arc
entirely withered away, and even those in more
favourable situations, that long held out, are now
becoming yellow, and must speedily be lost also, if,
indeed, they are not irrecoverably so already; pas- '
tures are litetally scorched brown, and scarcely a
blade of grass to be seen. What must be the conse-
quence should tins dreadful visitation last two months
longer, is a question which naturally presents itself,
and which must appal the heart of every person in-
crested in the country.
The entire loss, in a great measure, of next year's
crop, is, perhaps, one of the least of the evils to be
apprehended, and, in many instances, is in fact al-
ready lost sight of by the unfigtunate planter in the
more ruinous loss of cattle, which the depreciated
value of produce cannot replace, and the still more
dreadful apprehension of famine among the people,
aggravated by such a state of poverty as leaves him,
in too many instances, without the means of procur-
ing relief. Our dreadful situation may be understood
from the fact that, with a vertical sun and unusually
strung scorching breezes, there has been nothing like
a rainy day since June last year, neither October
nor May seasons, nor since January eycn a shots er
of an hour's continuance, at least in many parts of
the country. it has, indeed, occasionally drizzled,
and wore favourable appearances, which invariably
have ended in disappointment ; and so completely is
the earth now dried to a cinder, that nothing can
again renovate vegetation but heavy and continued
rain, which may Heaven speedily send, to relieve the
country from the horrors of impending famine!
Aucustt 2.l.—The most melancholy accounts have
been received this week from all parts of the island,
of the deplorable effects of the long continued dry
weather. The crops of yams, expected allout this
season, will be almost entirely lost, as well as every
other kind of provisions, and it is feared that many
properties will soon be called upon to purchase pro-
visions for their negroes. Many cattle have perished
from the want of water and total, and the next crops
of sugar will be lost throughout several districts,
the canes being irrecoverably withered.
With such a miserable prospect before us, the re.
auction of the Poll Tax last year, in consequence of
the loan of 80,0001. may be considered a most for-
tunate circumstance, and we tear that other and
larger loans must be indispensably resorted to, to de-
fray the public contingencies, unless some immediate
►teps are taken by Government .for the relief of the
ruined sugar planters, whose produce, at the present
prices and duties, even under favourable circum-
stances, do not Aimd a sufficient profit to defray the
necessary contingencies; of their estates.