The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-17 00:00:00

ZANTE.

EXTRACTS from a Despatch from her Majesty's Lord High
Commissioner at Corfu, dated Zante, 6th November,
1840, stating the injury sustained in that island by an
Earthquake which occurred on the 30th day of October,
with Extracts from Treasury Minutes thereon.
I arrived on the morning of the 30th ultimo, half an
hour after the occurrence of a dreadful calamity, which has
irreparably injured the whole town and island of Zanta.
On proceeding through the streets I found them filled
or encumbered is ith ruins; the bulk of the population still
out of doors; the tiles and the shaken and disunited por-
tions of houses fallen or ready to fall ; very few of the
houses, not even those most solidly built, had escapad ex-
ternal and apparent injury; and even where such was not
visible, had suffered greatly internally in their furniture
by the concussion. I regret to state that I found
three of the school-houses wholly or partially de-
troyed ; the Resident's house is greatly injure], not
habitable, I fear, with safety. The Courts of Justice, a
tired building, reduced to a dangerous state, and no longer
tenable. The Regency terribly shaken. Many of the
churches seriously injured, some irreparably so ; some of
the principal steeples cracked and brought into a dan-
gerous state ; and one so much so, that, with the consent
of the Bishop, I immediately ordered it to be taken down.
Innumerable private houses have been. injured more or
less, many entirely destroyed; many poor and destitute
persons made houseless ; upon the habitations of the poor
indeed the greatest ruin has been occasioned, from these
having been less solidly built, and in most cases formed r f
unhewn stone, and no other cement than mud, and which
crumbled to the earth at,tbe first shock.
I regret to acquaint your Lordship that the devastation
is still more general in the country than in the city, and
that the distress is and will be infinitely greater ; and the
means of the inhabitants whose huts and houses have so
generally been destroyed or injured, afford little or no re-
sources for them to fsll back upon.
On the esil November, after having inspected the mili-
tary works, I devoted myself to a personal examination in
he city of the several cases of severe distress, which by
my directions the inspector of police, is i:h some of his as-
sistants, had ascertained to exist ; some I found not only
houseless and destitute of all means to cover themselves
against the approaching inclement season, but actually in
want of food ; I extended immediate relief in both respects
so far as I could, and cLirtainly, for the moment, sufcient.
I then proceeded to Scudicado, and there I witnessed a
scene of desolation and ruin, of consternation and misery,
far exceeding any I had previously seen in the course of
these visits, and, I tray well add, in the whole course of
my life. This village, containing a population of about
800 persons, is nothing but a heap of ruins ; not a house
untouched, and very tew left standing. In all the other
villages, even those most injured, there is covering left,
which will enable the more fortunate to show their hospi-
tality and feeling for their unfortunate neighbours by
giving them shelter, but here in Seudicado there is no
shelter left. The site of the village is on a small bill, no
.part of the surface of which is free from ruins. The fur-
niture, the beds, buried in the ruins of the houses, the de-
vastation is so great that no parts o f the fabric in the
shape of planks are in a state to form fresh cover. I
noted the cases of utter destitution, they are numerous.
I intimated to those who had sonic resources of property,
though at present none in ready money, that they might
seek relief in the shape of loan out of the sum decreed
by the Senate, and I acquainted the Capo that if they
would send to the town a sufficient number of horses to
carry out seven or eight hundred planks for the use of tha
destitute, and to form covering for them, I would direct
that these should be supplied gratuitously. This has Leen
done, and small sums of money have, by my direc-
tions, been dispensed to the most destitute for immediate
necessities, and to enable them to get shelter put together,
should their fellow-townsmen either refuse to labour for
them gratuitously, or be too much involved in distress
themselves to assist them.
The material injury which the island of Zalte has
tamed is extensive, and cannot be rated at less than
300,0001. sterling. I need scarcely tell your Lordship
how utterly inadequate the revenue of these States is to
afford any significant relief, and I deeply regret te.say that
since I have arrived here I have received very tad ac-
counts of the oil crop in Cotfu.
I have set on foot a priva e subscription here, to which I
have liberally contributed, in addition to a much larger
sum I had previously appropriated to the immediate relief
of the mere destitute and helpless persons. Tbis has been

lIVEN ING EDITION.

cordially and liberally seconded by most of the leacni:
eople, an example which I have no doubt will be ;;;;11)wed
in all the islands.
The general distress of the poorer classes will be very
much aggravated by the heavy losses which the signori in
all parts of the island have sustained. Their country--
houses, exclusive of the damage to their town residences,
have almost without exception been seriously injured,
many if them entirely destroyed, and in general they aro
become, ill many instances, rather the objects than tile
dispensers of charity. They however have in general cow-
tributed freely to the subscription, but without adrancev
on credit, either by loan from the Government or in some
other way, they will be unable to restore or repair their
habitations. This will have a serious effect in the country,
not only from the signori being obliged to abandon their
country residences, but from the want of assistance which
the country people would receive, were the signori able to
engage labour for the repair of their houses.
I cannot express how greatly I have been relieved and
comforted in the arduous and painful duties I have had to
discharge, and the provisional measures which I promptly
adopted on behalf of the Senate, by the effectual, prompt,
and most paternal action of his highness the Presi-
dent, Sir Pietro Petrizzopulo, and the members of that
illustrious body, in approving and confirming all I had
done, in announcing their desire and determination to do
whatever further is in their power, and even empowering
me, in their name, to extend such further relief as I may
deem necessary. _ _

EXTRACT PROM TREASURY MINUTES, DATED DEC. 31, 1840.

Mite to Mr. Stephen, with reference to his letter of
the 2d of December, that my Lords have learnt with the
greatest sorrow the distress occasioned to the inhabitants of
Zante by the late earthquake, and taking the circumstances
into consideration, and adverting to the opinion expressed
by Lord John Russell, my Lords feel they should be jus-
tified in making a small grant from civil contingencies in aid
of the sufferers; my Lords, theref.)re, have directed that a
sum of 4,000/. ahould be set aside from civil contingencies
for that purpose.
Lord Melbourne and the Chancellor of the Exchequer
state to the Board, that her Majesty has been graciously
pleased to direct that 1,0001. should be issued in aid of the
distress of the inhabitants of Zante, out of her Royal
bounty. R. GORDON.
Whitehall, Treasury Chambere, April 1, 1841.