Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1812-02-10
LExINcroa, january 10.
THE l. Dv,IunIrx APT,

formation than the above.
LExINoroa, january 10
THE EARTHQUAKE.
Estrdct ola ieter from a gesslentan on his yaJ
10 Neru Orieans,to a friend in this piace-ia,
ted 29th December.
" We entered the Mississippi river on the
morning of the 14;h, and ON the night of the
18th came to anchor on sand bar, about ten
miles above the Little Prarie-Half past a..
click IN the morning of;he 10Th, We were arou-
sed from Our slumbers by avioent shaking Of
the ooat-there were three barges and two
keels IN company, all affected in the same WY
The Arm was considerable and various op;ni-
ons as to the cause were suggested, all found
10 be erroneous but after the second shock.
which occurred in IS minutes after the frst, il
was unanimously admitted to be an earthquake.
with the most awful feelings we watched till
morning IN trembling anxiety, supposine .Il
was over with US. We weighed anchor early
IN the morning, and in few minutes after We
hao started, there came on in quick succession
two other shocks, more violent than the forI
mer. 1t was then daylight, and we could p,a;n-
,iyPcrceive the effect it had on shore. Ths
oanS OF the river gave way in sll directions, and
came tumbling into the water; the trees 2werr,
more agitated than ever before saw them i,
the severest storms, and many of them from the
shock they received broke of ne.r the sround
US weii as many more tornup by the roets. we
considered ourselves more secure on the water
than we should be ON land, of course we PRO.
ceeded down the river. As we progressed, the
effects OF the shocks as before described. wcr~
observed in every part of the banks of the Nil
sissippi. In some places, five, ten and fifteen
acres have sunk down in BODY even the Chi
kesaw Bluffs, which we have passed, did M,
escape; one or two of them have fallen in con-
siderablv w.
The inhabitants Of the Little Praric and ii,
neighbourhood all deserted their hones. ana
re!lred pack to The hills or swamps. The only
orlck chimney in that place was entircly demo-
iished by the shocks. 1 haye not vet heard thet
any lives were lost, or accident of consequence
happened. have been but twice on shore sinc,
the hrst shock, and then but a very short time
as Thought it unsafe, for the ground is cracked.
ana torn to pieces in such way as makes !.
truly alarming; indeed some of the islands in
the river that contained from one to two humid
red acres of land have been nearly all sunk. md
not one yet that have seen but are cracked
from ono end to the other and has lost some
part of it.
There have been in all forty oneshocks. somr
OF them have been very slight; the frat one tool
place at h'lf past Q O'clock on the morning of'
the 10th, the last one, at IL o'clock this morn.
ing (2Oth) since commenced writing this let
ter. The last one think was not as Severe q,
some of the former, but it lasted longer than n.
ny OF the preceding: think it continued near
iy a minute and an half. Exclusive of the shocks
that were made sensible to lis onthe water. tber,.
have been, am to believe, many others, as we
frequently heard arumbling noise at a distance.
when no shock was TO us perceptibIe / am the
more inclined to believe these were sbocke
from having heard the same kind of rumbIircC
with the shocks that affected MS There il one.
circumstance that has occurred, which if I had
not seen with my own eyes, I could hardly have
beiIeved; which is, thu rising fthe trees that
lie in the bed of the river. believe that ey4ry
tree that has been deposited in the bed of the RI
yer since Noah's flood, now stands erect out Of
water; some of these Isaw myselfdurine one of
the hardest shocks rise up eight or ten feet our
OF water The navigation has been rendered
extremely difficult in many places in consr.
quenee OF the snags being so thick. Prom tn.
long continuation and frequency ofthese shocks,
it IS extremely uncertain when they will oesse'
and If they have been as heavy at New-orleans
as we have felt them, the Consequences must b.
dreadful indeed; and am fearful when ar
rive at Natchez TO hear that the whole CITY AZ
Orleans is entirely demolished, and perhaps
sunk.
Immediately after the first shock and tbo,e
which took place after daylight, the whole at
mostphere Was inpregnated with suipAurious
smcll''