The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-17 00:00:00

THE BARTIIQUAKE' AT QUITO.

The Seis de Marzo, of Guayaquil, gives the fol-
lowing details of the recent earthquake at Quito :
From the different accounts which tha Government has
received, it learns that the dreadful earthqz.ake which
was felt in this city on the 22d of the present month has
caused terrible disaster and very lamentable losses in the
capital of the republic, in all the neighbouring towns,
in the capitals of the province of Leon, and amongst
the towns of the cantonment of Latacunga. Equal or
greater have been the injuries caused by the earth-
quake in all cities and settlements of the beautiful province
of Imbaboure, the details of which have not been as yet re-
ceived ; but we shall hasten to make them public as soon
as possible. In the meanwhile we have given place in the
present number to the following article from El Artesano
which gives an account, in the manner of the official com-
munications and various private letters, of the lamentable
state to which that city is now reduced, and tre mournful
condition of its unhappy inhabitants :
"THE 22n or MARCH, 1859, IN QUITO.
_ _

" The sweat and labour of man mingled together during
many centuries, and transformed into sumptuous temples,
have just been demolished by one of those terrible convul-
sions of the earth which from time to time strike the virgin
of the new world with consternation.
"A few seconds have been sufficient tu„,past to the earth
the magnificent works of architecture which were the glory
and pride of the opulent Quito.
" Yesterday, the 22d of March, at half-past eight in the
morning, after a slight atmospheric detonation, the most
violent movements of the earth were felt, in which it was
seen that the city had reached its last end.
" The voice of man was hushed in his ordinary affairs,
and bitter lamentations and prayers to Heaven ascended in
the midst of the quivering of the earth, the sundering of
mountains, the terrifying reports of the towers and cupolas
of the temples and of the tiles and walls as they fell to the
earth. Seventy-four seconds were sufficient to reduce to
ruins the proud edifices which the perseverance of man..had
raised up in the course of many long years.
"This eminently catholic city, although hardly Chris-
tianised, prostrated to the earth, perhaps for its offences,
loudly implored the clemency of offended Heaven in such
awful moments.

"As soon as the convulsions of the earth had ceased a
new, horrifying, and tender scene to.k place on the scene of
terror. The parents sought their scattered children ; these,
in their turn, their parents; members of families implored
one another with vehememt breath, in the midst of the
weeping and confusion, as if hoping that they might unite
together so that one spot might serve them for a common
sepulture ; or, in consolation, shedding tears one over the
other.

"Here some sustained in their arms dismayed and aged
people; there tender virgins whose strength had deserted
them; further on were to be seen groups of parents and
friends whose intertwined arms express3d the pleasure
which they felt at meeting.
"As soon as there was a little calm of the feelings we
went out to examine the ruins, and we have passed by the
feeling of breathing the dust of the ruins of the temples.
Here the Eternal seems to have said, will root out my
house and my habitation from among an ungrateful

"- There is not an edifice which has not suffered, and
many do not admit of repairs unless they are demolished.
The cathedral is mutilated, and one part of its balustrades
fell to the ground, and the place which was used as an
ecclesiastical court also lost its roof. The portico of the
chapel of El Sagrario lost its best half, and the middle
aisle is greatly injured. The temple of the Augustines
lost its principal cupola and the tower and angle of its
cloister: The temple of the Catalines came to the ground
in its main part, which formed the front and the cupola,
leaving several persons in its ruins, who, in consequence of
its immensity, it is impossible to discover until after some
days of labour. Of the temple of the Dominicans there fell
the balustrades, two angles of the principal court, and one
of the second. The tower of the hospital demands imme-
diate demolition, inconsequence of the ruinous stateii which
it has been left.' The church of our Lady del Carmen is
greatly injured, the great bars of iron which supported its
angles having fallen. The magnificent temple of Santa
Clara has been completely damaged, in consequence of the
loss of her collateral arches and the destruction of her little
cupola. From the temple of La Merced there fell the high
cupola, some convent cells, and the little cupola of the
tower, while the clock was riking the fatal hour for the last
time. Both towers of the temple of San Francisco were found
to be greatly damaged; but this one has suffered the least,
although the interior of the convent is greatly damaged.
The temple of St. Roque lost its tower, and one of the two
temples of St. John the Evangelist lost one of the two which
it had. The church of Recoleta de Dominicos is completely
ruined.

" Of the public edifices, the walls of the company at the
corner of the San Francisco place are ruined, and the tiles
of the building which was used for the transaction of the
business of the supreme and superior courts have fallen.
The government palace is completely injured in its two Ca-
binets, as well as the archiepiscopal palace. The colleges
and chapels are all left in greater or less ruin. We conclude
this faithful account by stating that, although there are a
few houses not completely destroyed, there is not a single
one which does not demand immediate repair.
" The number of victims ascertained up to this moment
is very small, and does not exceed ten persons who have
perished under the ruins.
" From some accounts which we have received from
adjacent places we learn that the city of Machachi is de-
stroyed, as also the towns of the north—Perucho, Pornas-
qui, and Cotocollao, including the habitations of the fields.
We are even ignorant of the number of persons who might
have been in the towns, and even of the motive cause of so
lamentable a catastrophe.
"We will hereafter,. as we have promised, give more de-
tailed accounts of the Injuries which have resulted from the
earthquake in the towns of the north."

FAILURE IN BIRMINGHAM.—Yesterday a circular
was issued announcing that the firm of Charles Villatti and
Co. was unable to provide funds to meet the current en-
gagements, and a meeting of the creditors is convened. The
house did business with South America, and the stoppage
is attributed to the suspension of payment by the house cf
Alfred Willers and Co., of Hamburg.
A HOPEFUL SCHOLAR.—An engineer of world-
wide celebrity, on visiting a parallel which was in course of
completion by a party of the corps, went up to the nearest
sapper to interrogate him with reference to the work he was
executing. The workman was private Solomon Whelan,
who was not remarkable for wit or good sense. Colonel—
What is your name, sir ? Sapper—Solomon Whelan, sir.
Colonel—Well, Solomon Whelan, what slope is that ?
Sapper—a very good slope, sir. Colonel—But what is its
name? Sapper—A slope, sir. Colonel—You are a very
stupid fellow. Sapper—Yes, sir. The colonel paused to
scrutinise the genius ; and having surveyed him from head
to heel, resumed the examination. Colonel—Supposing
the first sapper were killed, what would you do with hire
Sapper—Stuff him in the gabion I Colonel—And what
would you do with the second, if he were killed ? Sapper
—Make a fasciae of him I Colonel—Well, Solomon Whe-
lan, you certainly are a curious fellow. Sapper—yes, sir.
Here the dialogue ended, and the colonel grade away
twisting his whisker, evidently amfgeci at the species of
information the interview had elicited.— -Romance of the
Rank,