The Sun.
London, England, 1803-11-28 00:00:00

CALAMITY AT MADEIRA.

A Private Letter to a most reVeAable ouse in 1
the City of London, from Mr. Mt9taA•,''Turrnerly
ViCe Consul at Matieirti but now of Lisburn, com_
municates some imporrant ,Particulats. By-it'-we
find, that. the consequences of this disastrous event
have not beets so great as we were.led.to think, and
that PrOvidence has, in a More particular manner,
favoured the persons and effeas of the British Factors
settled there. •
This Leiter states,, that oti the niiht.of the,9th
of October last, a torrent rushed down' froni the
mountains on the town of Panchal, the capital of Aft
island of Madeira With irresistible violence, bearing
every tiling before it in its passage, ro'the tea. The
bed of the river:tot being Capable of containing
tins increase of Water, bee:l-flowed on each side to a
considerable extent, and swept away three a its
bridges, and a magoifid'ent Chtirch.' Mansions, ware:
hotiseS',• inhabitants, cattle, and effeets of all sorts,
Were indiscriminately involved,in this resistless ele-
ment., and hurried to the ocean. •The streets of
two-thirds of the town were coMplefely inundated ;
in most places the water reached to the first toot.
The darkness of the might,, the rush and roar of ,the
waters, the cries of the ,stifferet s, the terror •of all,
formed such a sterie as may with great dlfEcultyl be
conceived, 'but, Mocks all polders of des:caption.
Towards morning, hoWever, ,the violence of ,the
torrent' abated ; and towards the noon of next day
had nearly subsided. Every exertion was now made
to ascertain the extent of the mischief, and-to relieve •
the distresses of those to whom relief could be given.,
The Letter trona Mr. Slay, oar Vice-Consul at
Lisbon, has the followink remarkable passage :
•9 The particulati of this calanity ate' unknown'
litre, as theatvernot of Madeira Would nut sulfa
the vessel 'by which he forwarded his, dispalches,
tb cb'dtrey any private letters.". , •
. One English family alone, of the battle of TAT.
Lotw,:are have:suffered.. ; . •
The ftiendspf' Mr. COCK, 'the Vice• Consul,
rejoice to hear, that although his louse and • &torts
were entirely swtpt away, yet that he and his no.
merous family have all, though with' extreme
difh
culty, most prOvidentially escaped. Nor is' there
mention of rosy other Englith family buying suffered,
in the slightest degree'. .
Mr.SICEV's letter-stAtessenerally-the number of
who.perishici to have been about a thou-
sard ; Mt. MUiRAY's much lets; so that, it we
suppose:the whole number to be about Goo or 703,
it wilt 'probably be near the truth.
The Vast aggregate of , water. is conjedured to
have been produced by. the-bursting of a water:.
Spout in the moitnrains (an accident not unfrequent)
for although it'. had 'rained 'tin the day of,• and on
that preceding the event, yet the quantity which
had fallen was not at'aillufficient to ptorindi each a
flood. A pretty' considerable. village, ,whielt lapin
the course of the torrent,. is raid' to have been- en-
tirelyaitroYed ; 'Uinotig whose inhabitants the Bri-
tish Merchants at• all cunneded or adqugintel with
Madeira,' will partiiiilarly 'have to lament, -Mr.
Tzt.LE . it,Merchant anti Proprietor of;thogreatest
integrity 'and private worth. '
Those Most conversant iri the \Vine Trade of the

Island; in London, agree that Very little mischief
hey been done in that-mg-pea. The Vintage having
been all, got in, much of it consigned and shipped
stores- -generally en the higher part Of
the' Town, -entirely out al• the teach of the water;
consequently out of the tii'vediOn which it. is stated
to have takeh in coming floin the mountains.