The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-17 00:00:00

THE EARTHQUAKE A 7 MENDOZA.

The following is an extract from a letter from
Valparaiso:—

" Valparaiso, April 16, 1861.

" On the 20th of Mardi I was, in. company with
several others, sitting in a large room in the port,
when, about a quarter to nine, a shock of an earth-
quake came on, accompanied by more noise than
I ever heard before.

_ •
" The movement was gentle, and lasted fully
two minutes. The vibration of the ground was
very marked, and it was not easy to move from
our chairs. As a matter of course, we all ran out,
but shortly returned, and continued our business.
The shock, of which we had only felt the outer
wave, had destroyed a city and buried 8,000 of its
inhabitants beneath its ruins.
" The city of Mendoza, situated close to the
eastern slope of the Cordelleras, was reduced to a
mass of ruins; not a house, a church, nor even a
shed, remained standing.
" On the morning of the 23d the news reached
us ; at first it was not believed, or was considered
to be greatly exaggerated, but succeeding messages
confirmed the dreadful tidings. The city of Men-
doza s% as destroyed, and two-thirds of its inhabi-
tants lay entombed beneath where it once stood.
The Chilian Government at once sent medical men,
tents, and provisions. They also made an appeal
to the charity of the country on behalf of their Ar-
gentine brothers, which, however, was hardly
necessary ; every man's purse was in his hand,
and long before a week was over a further supply
of assistance was on the road. In Valparaiso
alone 24,000 dole. were subscribed. One of the first
to offer his services was Dr. Leahy, of the British
ship Nereus ' • his offer was at once accepted, and he
accompanied the Government doctors.
"Letters from him and others have been published
in the papers ; they say the reality of horrors far
exceeds any description, however highly coloured it
may seem.
" At 15 minutes to 9 o'clock p.m., on the 20th of
March, a flourishing city was in existence, which
only one minute later was a heap of ruins, nowhere
more than six feet from the ground ; and out of a
population of 12,000 in one minute 10,000 were
buried, some 2,000 of whom have since been rescued
from their living graves, all more or less hurt. Of
those not actually buried, at least 1,500 were in-
jured by the falling of walls, tiles, &c. To add to
the horrors of the night, a fire broke out among the
ruins of one of the largest buildings in the heart
of the city, and at least 600 unhappy wretches were
burnt alive, but their sufferings must have been
short compared with the agonies of those who were
suffering a living death beneath the ruins, many
having been taken out alive even after being buried
for 16 days. Dr. Leahy writes, though accustomed
to the sight of suffering, he can hardly bear up,
surrounded as he is with so much misery. They
had only been there two days when he wrote, and
had alread 500 patients in their temporary hospital
(composed of canvas and boards), all so bad as to be
difficult to know which to attend to first ; broken
arms and legs were the least misfortunes ; terrible
crushed wounds, already festering, broken limbs
that had to be re-broken to be set, poor wretches
with broken backs, but still alive, and this in
the midst of, and surrounded by, the stench of the
thousands of bodies beneath the ruins. The country
people came pouring in with mattocks and shovels,
but not to save—no, to turn over the ruins in search
of booty.
"This earthquake is probably the worst on re-
cord ; never was destruction so complete. The very
heart of the shock seems to have been in the town
h
itself, as the places round about, although mu It
shaken, have not suffered much in comparisotnli
fewl
is reported that a volcano has broken
frequentlyou
leagues from Mendoza. Earthquakes ahr.en
has been
felt here, but it is 100 years since anyt
felt on the other side of the Cordillweroausli
considered that no earthqualT dagnpdasist wthaes
the shocks have
mountain. For some years
na :we
dd f
uf fort
ir
yeti
shs
het
sof
teui
shock
of
nfe.
thisbeen
sideve ry; light,
e o i
t may
yd
he;
possible comparativelya" s
o rare,h t
eervr ea nn e on
fires have taken a new direexctpieornie)
we may here be free from these a
Although many here, especially. new arrivals, affect
an indifference, all who
1851 must feel an indescribable dread at the recur-
rence of even a slight earthquake; the uncertainty
of its extent, the rolling about of the before solid
earth like a broken sea, produce in you a feeling
which is anything but pleasurable.
"I am happy to tell you that our countrymen
have been very liberal on this sad occasion. The '
English commercial houses subscribed 3,800 dole. ;
the Episcopal Chapel, 1,000 dole.; the Independent
Chapel, 790 dole., besides many private subscrip-
tions from the heads of houses and others."

LITERATURE.

Alpine Byways ; or, Light Leaves gathered in 1859
and 1860. By a Lady. Longman.
This is a pleasing little volume that records some
wandering in foreign lands, and its fresh style and
animated descriptions cannot prove otherwise than.
acceptable to the reader. There is hardly any
country more suitable for being the constant theme
of travellers than that which boasts those grand old
mountains, and is encircled by those everlasting
snows. In introducing the book the authoress
truly observes, that "'the higher region of the
Swiss Alps has been, not inaptly, called the play-
ground" of England, where the energy, enterprise,
and endurance of her grown up sons find ample
scope for exercise amidst " peaks, passes, and gla-
ciers," the pursuit of health and manly amusement
' being, in many well known instances, combined
with a true appreciation of the beauties of nature
and an enthusiastic devotion to scientific re-
search, in the study and development of the
long unexplored mysteries of creation which pre-
sent themselves in the world of eternal ice andsnow ;
and, without aspiring to exploits which may be
deemed unfeminine, or entailing undue care and re-
sponsibility upon their companions, ladies may now
enjoy the wildest scenes of mountain grandeur with
comparative ease." It is also most just what is said
further on, that " such scenes exercise a most health-
ful influence on the mind, aiding us to put aside,
for a time, the everyday cares and engrossing inte-
rests of life, and filling it
' Not with the works of man,
But with high objects with enduring things,
With life and nature, purifying thus
The elements of feeling and of thought.'
In youth especially the tone of character is elevated,
and the perception of beauty is strengthened by
being thus led to recognise the presence of the
Creator in His glorious works." There are several
illustrations to this book, some of which are very
pretty, and convey a good idea of the mingled
grandeur and beauty of those wonderful localities.
The sketch of Sixt is one of the best and most
striking. This valley is one of the most noticeable
environs of Switzerland, from its peculiarity and
the magnificence of its views; The description of
the several spots is conveyed in graceful and flow-
ing language, while the mind of the narrator is
evidently fully impressed with the subject, and.
hence there is that appropriate appreciation
without which no one can rightly discuss this
topic Those ladies who wish to accompany their
adventurous relatives, but are deterred on account
of the supposed obstacles, may find pleasing and
profitable information in these pages, and
glean.
from them the welcome tidings that such an ex-
pedition may be safely and successfully performed.
On the other hand, those whom unpropitious cir-
cumstances prevent from taking that delightful
excursion may derive from this animated and at-
tractive little volume a fair idea of the objects of
interest that await the traveller, and in many
cases an acquaintance will be made with what
are here called " The Byeways and Higher Passes
.if the Alps." There is some reason for the hope
expressed by the authoress in the concluding pas-
sage :—" Another link has been added to the chain.
which has drawn us, summer after summer, to
seek enjoyment amidst the grandest scenes of
nature. I can only hope that the pleasure which.
I have had in recalling some of the incidents
of our rambles may be realised by the experience
of those who may be induced to follow in the track
which I have ventured to indicate, and that others
may thus gather a store of those pleasant memories
which are recalled with renewed enjoyment long
after the first excitement of such mountain wan-
derings has passed away. It has been truly said—
" Remembered joys are never past."
This is an agreeable addition to the accumulated
store of Alpine travels, and it will no doubt be ad-
mired by many of that numerous class of readers who
delight to dwell on all that concerns those distant
countries, from which we are divided by interven-
ing lands, and separated by seas and oceans, but of
which we have an accurate knowledge, and with
whose peculiarities we seem intimately acquainted
in consequence of the numerous records that have
appeared of the exploits and adventures of energetic
travellers. " Alpine Byways" may be fairly re-
commended to notice, and its perusal will well re-
pay the reader, alike from its lively sketches and
its interesting subjects.

Uphill Work. By Mrs. Clara Lucas Balfour, author
of " Moral Heroism," &c. Houlston and Wright.
This is a short and simple tale with a very ex-
cellent moral, showing how patience, industry, and
integrity can surmount the most formidable obsta-
cles and obtain success under the most unpromising
circumstances. The hero, Philip Welmore, is
introduced to us in a very unfortunate position.
His mother, a weak and foolish woman, had married
a man of inferior station, violent temper, and in-
temperate habits. Poor Philip is looked upon as
an encumbrance by his step-father, who treats him
with alternate harshness and neglect ; his mother,
grown peevish and indolent under the pressure of
many cares, makes him the drudge of the household.
He has no regular education save what he obtains
from the teaching of his good angel, aunt Matty.
This lady is the aunt of his mother, and had sup-
ported her in her younger days. She had lived
with her after her first marriage, and would not
desert her when she found how much she needed
her help in her ill-assorted second union. For the
sake of her unfortunate niece, and still more of
Philip, she remained an inmate of the miserable
home, notwithstanding the owner's insults. To her
Philip was indebted for all he knew, and still more
for the excellent moral training, which was the real
secret of his success. W hen Philip had passed the years
of boyhood a dispute arose which ended in his step-
father's expelling both him and Aunt Matty from
the house. They started for London, where they
obtained employment—Philip, as an office boy, at
four shillings a week. From this humble beginning,
with his slender means of improvement, it took
him some years to rise to competence and reputa-
tion, but at length the uphill work " was
successfully accomplished,. and we leave him
happily independent, having conquered his cir-
cumstances. We could have wished to make
the moral more forcible ac well as more natural, that
Philip had worked his way by the application of
ordinary abilities instead of doing so by the dis-
covery of an unusual artistic talent. Nevertheless
the moral is of universal application, and we heartily
commend it to all young people who are discouraged
by their circumstances, and inclined to abandon
effort because the onward path is steep and rugged
instead of smooth and pleasant.

Sunbeams for all Seasons. New edition. Edited
and enlarged by Mrs. Clara L. Balfour, author
of " Moral Heroism," &c., &c. Houlbton and

Wright.
This little volume consists of a collection of
" Precepts, counsels, and cautions relating to the
hopes, pleasures, and sorrows of life." The extracts
are selected from a wide range of authors and.
speakers of our own and other times and coun-
tries. They include prose and poetry, fun, phi-
losophy, advice, sentiment, and reflection. The
subjects are arranged alphabetically, and thus form
an intellectual dictionary. The work is admirably
adapted for a gift book for young persons, who
may derive both pleasure and profit from its con-
tents, since, although the name of the editress is
sufficient g'iai'antce for its high moral tone, there
are sufficient variety and brevity in the selections
to render them agreeable instead of wearisome to
those least studiously inclined.

THE MEETING AT LORD DL'RBy'"~'

of
a, announce-
': 0 no intimation—
as. to what the
The Times of Saturday contained_
the
ment, to the effect that a meeting 'tab%
Conserva-
tives is to take place to-day
Lord Derby ; but the Times g
confidence that the
yoluagraet—he
ring is to take
did not even venture a conjret
We can state with
purpose is for which the party
place.deliberate and • is to
object of the meeting
Conservatives ought to do this
upon what theceto the clause of the Appro-
priation in rats n
Bill which proposes to give an
priation
°f
Sea
additional mew Lancashire. member to South
We
believe w® are equally
i
correct n our information.
when we state, that Lord Derby and Mr. Disraeli
are determined to oppose the Ministerial proposal
for giving an additional member to South Lanca-
shire, and in that case the meeting to-day will of
course concur in the purposes and policy of its
leaders. We may add, that the Conservatives feel
confident of beating Ministers on a division—and if
so, the blow will be to them collectively a heavy
one, while to Mr. Gladstone personally it must
prove a crushing blow, inasmuch as it is well
known that he was to fill the new seat. We hear
it surmised that Ministers, conscious of a defeat,
determined at the Cabinet Council, held on Satur-
day, to withdraw the Appropriation of Seats Bill
altogether. But we give thin merely as a report
mentioned to us. If they adopt that course, it will
virtually be as great a defeat as if they were beaten
on a division. They are certainly, under any cir-
cumstances, in what Mr. Bern al Osborne called, the
other evening, a " very shaky condition."—.2llorn.
ing Advertiser.

FEMALE SCHOOL OF ART BAZAAR.—Her Royal
Highness the Princess Alice, her Royal Highness the Prin-
cess Helena, and the Royal Highness the Princess Louisa
visited the bazaar held in behalf of the building fund of the
Female School of Art, at the new rooms adjoining the South
Kensington Museum, at an early hour on Saturday 'morn-
ing, and made extensive purchases at every stall, The
bazßar will be open =Monday and Tuesday,

II