The Sun.
London, England, 1825-11-22 00:00:00

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•

DREADFUL EAR THQUAKE.

(From The Trinidad Ga.-..ette, Sept. 21.)

We cannot Conceive any event better calcu-
lated to display the Omnipotence of the Deity, and the utte •
insignificance of all human power, than those convulsions of
nature which frequently level the proudest edifices with the
ground, 'overwhelm whole cities in one confused mass of ruin.
and in the midst of fancied security plunge their entire popula-
tion into eternity. A visitation of this description was expe-
rienced by this colony last night ; and although the severity of
the shock was trifling in comparison to the earthquakes of Port
Royal, Lisbon, or Caraccas, the extent of its ravages at once
affords evidence of the utter insufficiency of human means
to resist the power of the Deity when displayed in convulsions
of the. elements ; and must infuse into every thinking mind
feelings of gratitude, and sentiments of praise to the
" Father of Mercies," that this visitation occurred at a
time when the inhabitants had ceased from their usual avo-
cations, and were mostly plunged into that repose, which,
but for the benign interference of Providence, might have
been eternal. Had the shock which we • experienced last
night occurred during the day, we are afraid that it would
have been our melancholy task to have recorded many more
serious accidents than have as yet come to Our knowledge.
This visitation occurred, according to the time on the Town
Clock, at a quarter past nine o'clock, and according to the
mean time, by Captain Lawrence, of his Majesty's ship Eden's
Chronometer' at a quarter of an hour before ten. The direc-
tion of the shock appeared generally to be from East by North,
to West by South, although in many places it would seem to
have been almost due North and South. It came on with little
if any rumbling noise, or other usual indications of earth-
quakes.

As to its duration there appears to be almost as many opi-
nions as there are persons ; 30 seconds appear to be the shortest
time ascribed to it, but we have heard many well informed
persons contend that it lasted three minutes. On a point on
which there is so much conflicting testimony, we will not pre-
tend to decide, and will content ourselves with observing, that,
at the time it happened, we were occupied in preparing our
paper for the press; and that the interval which elapsed be-
tween the commencement of the shock, and its complete sul:-
siding, appeared to be much greater than 30 seconds, but con-
siderably less than three minutes. Indeed we believe that the
duration of the shock would appear very different to persons dif-
ferently situated, or who were indifferent kinds of buildings ; as it
is an established fact in the history of earthqUakes, that different
sorts of ground are differently affected. We have not heard that
any chasm or opening of the ground was caused ; nor does
the pavement of the streets appear to be in any instance
disjointed.
It appeared not to have arrived at its full strength until some
seconds before it subsided entirely. Had it continued with the
same violence a few seconds longer we are persuaded that few
stone houses in the town of Port of Spain would have stood the
shock. Scarcely a house in town has escaped damage; many
are rent to such a degree as to render them uninhabitable with-
out considerable danger. The upper part of the gavel ends of
several houses on the east side of Frederick-street fill down ;.in
every part of the town, sheds and walls are levelled, and ac-
counts of clocks fallen from their stands, wine and other
liquors in bottles, china and glass ware broken, are innume-
rable. In many instances tables, bedsteads, and other heavy
articles of furniture were removed from their places or turned
round.

The seat of his Excellency the Governor of St. Arms, has
suffered severely, and is said to be rent and disjointed in several
places. The servants' apartments are also greatly injured and
a considerable quantity of glass ware is. broken.
That neat and elegant building our Protestant Church is
considerably damaged. The top of the N.W. pinnacle of the
north tower was precipitated to the ground, and tell several
yards to the westward of the foot of the tower; a part of the
• S.Y. pinnacle fell on the roofof the Ch urch, and forcing through,
dislodged one of the rafters, which tldling into the body of the
building, destroyed three of the pews. The two pinnacles to
the eastward are completely shattered, and appear only to be
prevented from falling by the strong iron bars in the centre
which are fixed in the battlements. The Tower itself' is com-
pletely rent through in several places—and the town clock is
so much injured that it must undergo a thorough repair. The
pinnacles of the south tower are also very seriously injured, and
some of the buttresses are cracked.

The buildings intended to be 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-Goneral, tell 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 damage has
been sustained. In the market-place, several galleries were
thrown down, and the house of the Clerk of the Market serious-
ly injured. The houses of Mr. Cipriani and- that; occupied by
Messrs. Walrond, Johnston and Co. are rendered uninhabit-
able, and we understand that both must be partially taken down
and rebuilt. The upper part of the gable of the house occu-
pied by Dr. Anderson, sen. in Frederick.street, fell on the roof
and shattered the whole of the extensive shed in the Vendue
yard. And the sonth gable of the adjoining house occupied
by John Edmonson, Esq. also fell. In the same street the roof
of Mrs. Fell's house experienced a like fate, by the falling of
part of the adjoining house. In the two Apothecary Stores in
Frederick-street, considerable damage was sustained by break-
age ; and the roof of a large hack Store of Messrs. Corrie,
MiAllister and Co. entirely fell in.
So far as the accounts which have been received from the
country go, the shock appears to have been general throughout
the island. A Gentleman resident at Chagnanas was shaken
out of his bed ; and the chimney of the boiling-house on the
Streatham lodge estate, Tacarigna was shaken clown, and
also several of the negro houses. It appears to have occa-
sioned very considerable alarm among the negroes on the
estates.

No lives were lost, and we are only aware of two persons
being seriously injured. One of these is a _Mr. Boss,, who re-
sides in the market place ; .he was in bed when the shock took
place, and one of the rafters which supported the roof having
given way, it and the left hand side of the wall fell on the bed,
he was very seriously bruised on the head, breast and limbs, but
as no surgeon had been called in when we saw him we cannot
say whether any bones were broken. several persons leapt
from the windows of their houses. Mr. Tholozan, jun. was
very seriously injured on the side and head, although fortu-
nately no bones ate broken, having sprung fron► his gallery
about fifteen feet to the wound. had the event taken place
in the day time, we are convinced that many serious acci-
dents would have been occasioned by the materials of the fall-
ing buildings.
IVe cannot in this number give a minute and •particular
account of the very extensive ruins in buildings that have
been sustained, but we shall endeavour to collect every pos-
sible intOrmation, and lay the sante before the public in
our next.

„...
The shock was felt as severely in the harbour as on shore.—
Captain Lawrence informs us that the shock wa: felt so severe-
ly on board the Eden, which vessel was moored upwards of
two and a half miles from shore, that he concluded the whole
town of Port of Spain had been destroyed, until he was satis-
fied, by means of his night telescope, that the tower of the
Church was standing. It was equally severe on board his Ma-
jesats o
y
'
sn
brig ltingdove, and we are informed that several per-
,,oboard the vessels in the harbour were thrown out of
their births. We are assured by some of the oldest inhabi-
tants that this is the severest shock which has been felt in this
island since their residence here, and we repeat that we cannot
be sufficiently grateful that it subsided at the moment it did,
and was unattended with storms and the other usual accompani—
ments of earthquake, which generally occasion inure damage
than the earthquakes itself.
A gentleman who was on horseback on his way from St. Jo-
seph, was not aware of the event until informed of it on his
arrival in town, when he recalled to his recollection that his
byinstinct, particularly suscep-
tible
of little doubt that the horse
ltier }torso eh
es:euck. Aa rostceacdri
ir
occurrences,
ees
1.,t
wete which corresponded with .that of
have
was aware of the shock, which escaped the notice of the rider.

PRICE SEVE;NPF,NCE

And a person who was crossing Brunswick-square at' the titn6,
th scribes that he felt the same sensation, as is caused in a bowby 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. .

We have heard it asserted, that this shock was as severe as„„
the one which destrovel Caracas, and that the destruction of
that city was owirg to the nature of the materials of wltielt the
h 4 uses are construct; d, they being built with mud walls of the
th ckness of five or six feet; we believe, however, that thire is
no certain criterion by which. to form an opinion of the relative
violence of earthquakes ; but the shock of last night apl)ears to
have occasioned more damage than any former oue. which this
is'and had been visited since it was settled.

This visitation was preceded by v ry hot Weather ;.. and" a
sl:gh- shock is said to have been telt by many at four and an-
o her at eight o'clock ye'ter'ay morning. We are not of a fore-
bctling disposition, and still less inclined to infuse dread or ap-
prehension in the minds of the public ; but we cannot help "re.
marking, that the weather during this day, and the state. of
the atmosphere, which is always remarked to have a close con.
nection with this description of convulsions of nature, corres-
ponds very closely with what is recorded to have intervened be-
tween --the shocks of earthquakes in other places, which have
been attended with much more disastrous consequences.
We shall feel considerable anxiety until we hear from
'Vincent's and the neighbouring Islands and opposite Continent,
where these Catastrophes are much snore frequent and destruc.
the than in Trinidad.
On the whole we cannot but attribute the comparative small
extent of the damage in town to the intervent'on of Providence,
a.l d the strength anu soli•fity of the buildings.
We tannot conclude this au/kites with( ut an 'appeal to the
fee'ings of the public, and the philanthropy which the inhabi-
t • tits of Trinidad have upon every occasion sheWti, not merely
Ly eo professions, but by active benevolence, encourages us
to do so by the certainty that our appeal will not he made in•
vain. We are informed that many persons of limited circum"-
stances have suffered by the earthquake, and that amongst the
number are several, the recollection of whose early days, or the-
respectable rank in life in which they have been' accumstomed
to move, precludes the idea of their making known-thedifficul-
fes of their situation. We cannot imagine a more grateful
employment to the wealthy and respectable gentlemen of Tri-
n.dad, than that of inquiring out among the sutlere s of last
n'ght, those on whose scanty means, the repairs of even the
tr fling damage they may have sustained, will make a. consider-
able inroad—and who will be found not only in the usual abodes
of poverty and distress, but in the dwellings of the respectable
widowed mother and bereaied orphan.