The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-10-06 00:00:00

WEST INDIES-HURRICANE AT ST. KITT'S

The St. Tho Mac Time,, of the 22d A ozns.t contains the follow-
ing extract from the St. Chridupher Gazet.le of the 1•lth of
August:—

One of those periodical tct nabs, which at this season of the
year the Antilles are always apprehensive of experiencing,
occurred here on Wednesday n►ght last, which, for`►ts severity
during the time it ►asted, and its devastat►ng effects, has not
been exceeded for many years—indeed, it is the general opiniia
that the hurricane of 1419, which was so- very severe, was mild
compared to that which it is our painful task this day to record,
and which, it is thought, surpasses in its ravages all except the
" great hurricane" of 1772.

The wind, which on Wednesday forenoon was northerly,
began to increase early in the evening, and between eight and
nine o'clock blew with great violence from that quarter, and
continued—changing from north to north-east and east, until
near twelve o'clock, when it shifted to the south, and began
gradually to abate—during Which period, above-three hours, the
havoc it occasioned is immense; destroying in Baseterre almost
the whole of the small tenements in Irish and New Towns, and
the other parts of this metropolis, occupied by the poorer classes;
and injuring, in many instances, large dwellings, by unroofing
them, removing others from their foundations, and stripping off
shingles, cap-boards, &c. On the estates, the damage sustained
is very considerable; nearly all parts of the country- appears
desolate ; and it is a lamentable fact that in this town few
premises have escaped without some injury, either in the dwell-
ings, out-buildings, or fences—and of the estates, few are unin-
jured. The scene which presented itself to view Yesterday
morning in this town, was truly heart-rending and beggars
description—numbers of the poor inhabitants bewailing the loss
of their small dwellings—their whole property--that were in
many instances totally destroyed, and, in others materially in-
jured, lying prostrate on the Bound, and impediug the passage
through the streets; the square; and other parts of the town,
presenting a desolate and awful appearance, the principal trees
(some of which had withstood the force of former gates) torn
up by the roots, and the ground covered with shingles, branches
of the trees, &c.
It is impossible to describe, in the short space of time that has
elapsed, the extent of the damage which has been sustained,
particularly on the estates throughout the island—in fact, the
imperfectsketch which we subjoin has been principally furnished
by ous own observation and inquiries; and we respectfully re-
quest that all directors of estates, and all other; who have ex-
perienced losses, will furnish us with a detail thereof, for pub-
lication, in order that The Gazette may furnish, and be preserved
as a record containing a correct and minute description of the
total injury done by the gale.
At Government 'House, a part of the outside jealousie work
was blown away, the coach house laid fiat, and the kitchen and
part of the stabling unroofed. The S.E. corner of the church
partially unroofed, and the ceiling in the N.W. corner injured,
from heavy rain which fell through the apertures in' the roof
caused by the stripping of the shingles, and the steeple blown
down and fixed firmly in the wound. The shed to the east of
the Court-house fallen, and some of the shingles of the roof
blown off. The out rooms in the yard of the Poorhouse entirety
destroyed. The front room of the cottage, the property of the
chief justice, unroofed and otherwise injured, and some of the
buildings thrown down; fortunately his honour and family were
in the country, and escaped the danger to which they would
have been exposed had they been at home. The dwelling occu-
pied by Mr. Edward Evans and his family, in the yard of the
premises fronting the square, and belonging to his father, was
levelled with the ground, and nearly all his furniture and other
articles destroyed—the fatuity had providentially previously
quitted and taken refuge in the front house. The upper story
of the dwelling occupied by the widow of the late Mr. Richard
Cable was blown off into the street and broken up—the family
had left it at the commencement of the gale. The house at the
Crawl, near the fort, blown down. The roof and sides of the
house in the square (Jessup's) blown away. The house belong-
ing to Mrs. Mari, opposite to the house she occupies, injured.
The building occupied- as a masonic lodge much damaged. The
office of the Auxiliary Commissioners of Compensation blown
from its foundation and thrown over. The house adjoining was
driven several feet from its foundation into the yard. The
N.W. corner of the wall of Mr. Armstrong's house blown down
and the loft projecting over. Lloyd's signal post bent. The
outbuildings of several premises blown down—the roofs of the
Wesleyan Chapel and many other buildings stripped of shingles.
The roof of the Church of Trinity, Palmetto I oint, blown off
and destroyed. The parsonage of St. Peter's down, and books
and yelpers of the rector (Rev. Mr. Fraser) destroyed. 'f he
building on the garrison of Briinstone Hill, seriously injured—
the quarters of Majdriirooke blown down—part of the barracks,
&c., destroyed.

SCOTLAND.

COMMISSION OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

This reverend and venerable body met on Wednesday in the
Old Church, pursuant to a circular letter sent by the Moderator,
calling them together to consider the terms of the instruction*
issued by government to the church commission, and to thitiber-
ate on the steps necessary to be taken by the church in regard
to it. _ _

The meeting having he 'n constituted, the Moderator ex-
plained that he had presumed to call the commission together in
consequence of requisitions to that effect coming to him from
various suarters i and he now submitted to them whether he had
acted with propriety. (Hear, hear.)
Dr. Cook then intimated, that Dr. Chalmers having some in-
teresting information to communicate on the subject of their
meeting, he submitted that it would be proper for the Assembly
to request him to address them.
The Moderator, accordiuglyafter having given in the do-
cuments he had received from government on the subject, con-
sisting of a copy of the instructions, and of Lord John Russell's
letter to Lord Minto, which were read by the clerk, called upon
Dr. Chalmers to address the commission.

'Dr. Chalmers said that having felt the desirableness and
seen the possibility of being thus called upon he had reduced
his observations to writing, as 'least fatiguing fur himself, and
least encroarhing'upon the time of the assembly. Premising
that, in the statement he was about to Make, though he should
make use of the phrase deputation of the church, to save un-
necessary circumlocution, yet he meant only that fraction of
the deputation who went up to London as precursors of the
rest; and to whom must be imputed whatever bloae the church
might think they incurred. He went on to stM that that de-
putation had made no compromise with the government, and if
the measure resolved upon was less favourable than a multitude
of others that might be pointed out, it did not arise from any
consent or acquiescence on their part. The truth was, that
they could not get a more favourable measure. Nothing could
be mote distinct and definite than the first proposition the depu-
tation made to government—an immediate grant of money to
all the chapels of ease and new churches that have been built,
or are now in progress of building, throughout the country.
This proposition was in
,perfect analogy to the conduct of
government in granting assistance to schools or churches iu
the colonies, where, whenever a certain sum was provided by
the inhabitants in the, different localities, government imme-
diately came forward with their aid, and niade up the deficiency
from the public revenue. In this way, the circumstance of the
churches having been built was a sufficient evidence of the
wants of the population; there was complete moral conviction
of the necessity of the case, in the fact that 66 chapels of ease
had been built. and that £65,000 had been subscribed for new
places of worship, a suns which nothing could have drawn out
but an overwhelming conviction of the moral and spiritual
wants of the people. The deputation flattered itself that on
this ground there was sufficient evidence to obtain a grant for
at least their partial endowment. Along with this immediate
grant for the endowment of the churches already in existence,
we were not only prepared fully to acquiesce in the propriety
of issuing a commission, for the ascertaining of all future
cases as they might arise, but we should have rejoiced in its
adoption, and we should have considered the endowment of
the churches now in existence as a great moral experiment,
by which to test the propriety of making any further grants.
But before the arrival of the deputation in London, all hope
of an immediate grant was foreclosed, and a commission
of inquiry resolved upon. They were not the arbitrators
of the question; they were merely the observers of move-
ments in an upper firmament, over which they had no
control. They succeeded, however, in effecting some be-
neficial alterations on the government measure, and to snake
amends for the fatigue, and anxiety, and exhaustion of
spirits they had undergone, their last days in London were
watered and refreshed by is most exuberant profusion of pro-
mises. The points they gained with the government were,
that the inquiry should not be confined to the amount of church
room, but should extend also to the pastoral superintendence of
the people, and the amount of attendance on the ordinances of
religion, which last point, if prosecuted in a right spirit, he was
sure would show a real and extensive ecclesiastical destitution,
and prove how impossible it was to relieve it in any other way
than by a territorial and endowed establishment. They had
also obtained the sanction of the government to the publication
of interim reports on the part of the deputation, without which
he feared all relief to the church would have been postponed to
an indefinite period. There were certain points, notwithstand-
ing, of an obnoxious or questionable character, for which the de-
putation were not responsible. They never gave their consent
to the inquiry into the ecclesiastical funds which might be avail-
able, and they were not consulted as to the appointment of com-
missioners or the terms of their instructions, notwithstanding
their well-known anxiety lot both. They had the strongest as-
surances that a fair and friendly commission would be appoint-
ed. lie would not say what tie felt a few days afterwards,
when the Gazette, with its catalogue of names, for the most part
before unknown and unheard of, or known only for their hos-
tility-to. the church, was spread before him. There was one
thing, certainly, which the deputation might be chaked with,
They might have acted with more suspicion that all was not us
it ought to be. They might have distrusted the general assur-
ances that bed been given to them. However honourable the
heads of gesiernment might be, they might have recollected the
possibility of a measure, ostensibly and avowedly favourable to
the church, being handed over for the settlement of its details
to sonic lurking, low-minded underlings of office, some hack.:
neyed anractitioners in ,politics, unencumbered by delicacy,
truth, or honour; and who were on that account all the better
qualified for the task of. traversing the promises government
had made, and of dashing to the ground the expectations those
promises had awakened A-,le had an instant and direct reply to
this : these were not the proper instruments of the church of Csod.
Now that the age of modefn chivalry is gone; he could under-
stand the ill;-disguised glee,which was evinced by the success of
the game the enemies of the church had practised against her ;
but he did ntit envy them. t He would now proceed to state the
use which might be niade Of the present state of matters for
forwarding the extension of the church; and not to allow the
season of disappointment td become also the season of despair.
It was not thus the ancient fithers of the church acted when she
was spoiled of 4er endowments by the crown and a rapacious
nobility. It was true the pelpulation of Scotland was only a
million in those days, but whole tracts of the country were rifled
by the hand of violence, and no means were left to prevent the
country from sinking again into barbarism, but for the efforts of
those pattiots —es courageous and enlightened as the world ever
saw—the fathers, and founders of the Kirk of Scotland. The
very same task-lay before them now which then lay before their
forefathers. It was true they were .not suffering from the plun-
der of the church, though even of that they might read the pre-
monitory symptoms in the threatened measure which bad been
Feld out to: the protestant church of Ireland. (Hear.) The
arms of their enterprise were the same as those which had been
toed 200 years hack, with a divided population on the one hand,
:and, he touch feared, an unwilling government on the other.
Let the church follow in their footsteps dauntlessly and perse-
veringly, and he had no doubt that the position she assum-
ed would, sooner or later, compel the government to do justice
to their cause. Let them only persevere, and they would get the
better of all the arts and appliances of trimming, shufling politi-
cians. 1-le believed that the conduct of government, or rather
of eeme Underling, and intermediate persons, by whom the repre-
sentatives of the church and the heads of the government -had
been alike deceived, had placed the church in the best position for
advancing this cause; and he hoped the country would now take
up what the country's rulers seemed to throw as an unprotected
orphan on thei ands. But notwitstanding the provocations
and perversiti y had suffered, it was not only the wisdorri
but the duty of II hutch to carry the princiOe of forbearance
to the very utter oat. Zven on the worst supposition, and
though there were no confidence in time commission or the govern-
ment on the part of the friends of the church, though they be-
lieved that the government would cast her interests to the winds
if they could make a single ten pounder by it (a laugh,)ttbough

- "CT.iii.l,

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