The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-01-03 00:00:00


informed be:, far the effect extended in those radii of
the circle. The shock was felt at sea so violently, within
two levee of Cyprus, that it was thought the ship bad
grounded. Flaibes of volcanic fire were perceived at
various times throughout the night, resembling the.
light of the full moon; but at no place, to my know.
lege, has it lefts chum of any great extent ; although
in the low run& slight crevices are every where to be
seen, aad oat et Jamey of them water issued, but soon
after subsided.
There` Was nothing remarkable in the/wither, or
state of the atmosphere. Edifices on the selantits of the
highest moaateins were not safer than buildings situ-
ateJ on the banks of rivers, or on the beach of the sea.
Altbugh slight shocks of earthquakes bad been from
time to time felt in this country, it is certain that fur
I centuries none had done aoy material damage,
except one twenty-seven years ago, when a single town,
Latschia. was partially thrown down. In 17b5, an
earthquaketAns felt at Aleppo sad Antioch, which so
alarmed the inhabitants, that they all abandoned their
houses for 40 days, but very litthatelury was stistained,

- .
and no lives lost. . hie
The appearance of some very =tient edifices render
it probable that this country bas not suffered from earth-
. -"sakes slice the memorable one-recorded by Gibbon,
-about sixties centuries ago (I sneak from a very had
theniory), in which one-tbird of the inhabitants of Am
tioclt perished. when that celebrated city was supposed
to contain a population .of 'seven hundred thousand to
eight hundred thousand souls.
It is Impossible to convey an Adequate idea of the
scenes of horror that were siaseltaneousl.tassing in the
drea.lfal night of the 13th August. Here hundreds of
decrepiel parents. half buried is the ruins, were implies
in! the succour of their sons, not al wayr willing to rids
their own lives by giving their assistance.
There distracted mothers were franticly lif.ing heavy
stones from heaps that covered the bodies of their life.
less it:fants! The awful darkness of the night. themes
tinuance of the most violent shocks, at short interlude,
the crash' of falling walls, the shrieks, the groans. the
*aerate Of agonyend despair of that long night, cumin
le described. '- -• • ,
t When at length, the morn dawned, and the return of
light permitted the people to quit the spot on *id 1
ifl
they had bees providentially, saved, a tart a ' 1
scene ensued. You might have seen many, as
tamed to pray, some prostrate, some on their 1
adoring their MAILER. Others there were ronniat istu '
one another'e arms, rejoicing in their ezistencel ,1118)
air of cheerfulness and brotherly love animated sitar)
-con nter ancr. •
Ina public calamity, in which the Turk, the Jew, the
Christian, the Idolator, were indiscriminate victims, or
.ohjects of thei care of an impartial providence, every one
•ferget, for o time. his religious animosities, and, what
was a still more universal feeling, in that joyitti mo
ment, every one looked upon tint heaviest losses with the
erratest indifference. lint as the sun's rays increased
in intensity, they were gradually reminded of the amo-
rist- wails of shelter and of food, and because at length
'aline to the full extent of the dreary prospect before
them, for a greater mass ofhutnan misery has not been
often piodeced by any of the awful convulsions of ea-
tote. A month has now elapsed, and the shocks con-
tinue to he felt, and to strike terror into every breast,
night and day. The fear that they may not cease, be-
fore the rainy season commences, has induced those
whose business cannot allow of their quittir.g the ruins
of their towns, instead of rebuilding their houses. to
conatraot lemeorety hovels of wood without the walls;
sad many families, who thought themselves before this 1
ta!flui.y straitly lodged in a dozen of apartments, now
exult at the prospect of passing the winter in a slogkl
10r.,m, 20 feet square.
fhe spacious mansion that has been the residence *1
the British Consul at Aleppo for 230 years, is completely
unineol, although not entirely fallen, and would require
10,000/ to repair it.
The houses of all the other public agents and private,
European individuals at Allepo, have been likewise en-
tirely ruined. At Aleppo the Jews suffered the most,
ot. account of their quarter being badly built, with nar•
tow lanes. Out of a population of less than three thou-
sand souls, fix bemired lives were lose. Of the Euro-
peans only One person of note, Signor Elides de Picciot-
to, Atli Tian Consul General, and ten or twelve women
him chilikeh, perished ; but the greater part are now
smelling from ophthalmia and dysenteries, occasioned
by their being exposed to the excessive heats of the day
st.d the coil, dews of the night. When it is considered,
that two thirdsof the families in Alleppo have neither
the means of making a long journey, to remove to a
Own out of the effect of the earthquake. nor of building
a shed to keep eff the rain. it is impossible to conceive all
the 'niseiy to which they are doomed the ensuing
winter. or ewer to find more deserving objects of the
compassion and charity of the opulent. whom it
has pirated Ilion to place in happier regions of the globe.
' Ilere planks and fuel are cheap, and the people have
the resource of tiles, which they were taught to make
by the crusaders, in their long residence at Antioch t
lilt in Aleppo, where wood is very dear. they have
r o contrivance to keep out raj, but freestone walls and
flat roofs, made of very expensive cement.
The roof of the vaulted room in which the voluminous
archives of tile British Cancellaria in Aleppo are kept
his not fallen in, and it is hoped it may preserve them
firm wet till the spring, when it will he necessary to re-
ito•ce them.
I n the mean time, your Worships will he pleased
to inform me what is your itish should he done with
these books and papers.--1 have the honour to be,
&c. teal JOHN BARKER. .',
Near the Ruins of Antioch, Sept. 20 1822.
RIGHT WOREIRIPIUL SIRE—I had last the honour to
address your Worships on the 13th inst.
I ant sorry to say that shocks of the earthquakes
continue to he felt to this day, the thirtrrighth after
thoprineipal !hock, and no change has taken place in
Vie st:..e of desolation that that dreadful catastrophe has
',rot:aced.

1 have the honour to be, &c. &r.
JOHN BARKER.
Near the Rains of Antioch, Oct. 18,1822.
RIGHT WORSHIPFUL SIRS-1 had last the honour to
address your Worships on the Mb alt.
Till the 9th inst. shocks of earthquakes continued to
be felt; since that day they have entirely ceased ; but
confidence in a continuance of snfety from that dreadful
calamity is not restored and although the rains
.and cold weather render our temporary sheds very in-
convenient habitations, nobody is yet inclined to sleep
under a roof supported by walls.
1 have the honour to be, &c..
JOHN BAWLER.
Eli ract of a Letter from Consul Barker to Consul
lieneral Cartwright, at Constantinople, dated 19th
October.
" At half-past five, p. m. a violent shack of earth-
quake has destroyed all our hopes of its being termin-
ated."

• EXTRACTS FROM UNITED SPATES PAPERS•

CURACOA, Ocv.l2.—A number of pieces of dry good'
lately purchased at a vendue in this island, sold as da-
maged ariicles,were neatly packed up and sent toAruba,
with orders to batter them on the Spanish coast fur pre-
dace. A person was promptly despatched with them to
the f
coast of Coro, who soonfound a purchaser, and in
esclisnge received a certain number of papelones, to all
appe aaaaa eof an excellent finality. As may be expect-
lost no time in returning to Aruba, boggiog him-