The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware register., 1825-10-06

A..
Of the hesvng earth, ana .he
distracted cries OF those who felt themselves
staggering on the brink OF death, were
dreadful beyond imagination Never was
there such a night As soon as we appie-
hended that day was at hand, the aitais
were prepared, and the priests uressea
themselves for mass. trembling, we iil'eo
up our eyes to heaven, and then tell pros
trate upon the earth.
The day at length appears. but what
day Its horrors were much more teri'-
BILE than those of the night. NO sooner
were the the higher parts OF the city ii'.ie
calm, than we were struck with the outcr'es
which we heard towards the sea. AnAlouS
to discover what passed there, ana SUN
expecting nothing but death, we became
desperate, and instantly mounting our horses
rode down to the shore. i
Heaven what sight Vessels wrecked
in the harbor. The strand covered win
bodies which had been dashed against the
rocks bY the fury of the waves, Here you
seen the brains Of some, and the entrails Oh
others; there the palpitating struggles OF
yet remaining life. You might distinguish
the groans of the men, and the shrieks OF the
women, even through the noise OF the mum
der, the roaring of the blllows, and the
crash of the falling houses. 1he sea re-
garded not either the restraints OF men OF
the barriers of nature. She no longer Knew
the bounds that had been set by the Almish-
ty. :.
| That immense mole, which stretching it
self out on each hand, forms the port, was
buried under the tumut of the waves
and the lower parts of the city were so
much deluged, that you could not pass a
.+l,n a. fNf hf.tn nq
drowned.
We found near the shore above thou
sand Naepolit1n knights, who had assem-
bled, as it were, to attend the funeral OBJ
scquies Of their country. This splendid
trocp gave me little courage. IF die, :"
said to myself, it will be az least in good
company" Scarce had | made this reilec-
ton, when heard dreadful clamw every
where around me. The sea had sapped the
, foundation of the place where we stood,
and it was at that instant giving away. We
Ned therefore Immediately to more clevat-
, ed ground. Here we bcheld a most tre-
mendous sight The sea between Naples
, and CaprIa was covered with moving noun
tains: they were neither green, as in the
, ordinary state Of the ocean, nor black as IN
, common storms, but white
T The Young queen rushed out of the pa
a lace bare footed, her hair dishevclled, and
her dress in the greatest disorder. She
A was followed by train of females, whose
!. dress Was as loose and disordely as her own.
: they wcGt to throw themselves at the feet
of the blessed virgin, crying aloud, Mercy
y Htrcpt
Towards the close of the day the storm
' abatcd, the sea was calm, and the heavens
c serene. Those who were upon the land
. suffered only the pains of fear. But it wa.
otherwise with some who were upon tbs
S water. Some Mlrsci!les galleys, last from
v I.Cypress, and now ready to wei, h anchor
). were sunk before cur eycs;aor could we give
= them the least assistance. Larger vessel.
e from other nations met with the same fate
III the midst OF the harbor. Not d soul wa,
saved
There was a very large vessel which hat
g on board four hundred criminals under sen.
d tcncc of death. The mode of their punish
mcnt had been changed, and they were re.
served as forlorn hope, to BE exposed il
the first expedition against Sicily. Thi
It ship, which WAS stout and well built, sus
tanned the shocks Of the waves till sunset
+. but now she began to loosen, and to fill witt
Is water. ! he criminals, who were !. hard,
e set OF men,and less dismayed by DEATH a
a they had seen him so near at hand, strug
Blcd with the storm, and by a bold and Wig
l. orous defence, kept death 1T bay till the ap
n proach of night. But their efforts were il
d vain. The ship began to sink. Determined
y however, to put oil as far as possible tn
= moment of dissolution, they ran aluft, an,
h hung upon the masts and rigging. At thi
d moment tho tempest was appeased, ant
II those poor convicts were the only person
d whose lives were saved in the port of N,
e pies. = Lucan says, Fortune Arsseppes IN
is g"Wy.-And do We not find, by daily cx
'e perienee that lives OF little moment casi
iy escape the perils to which they arc e..
IN posed
ri Pctrarch wrote this letter the tav after tn
d earthquake, and concludes with the iclowin
II reflections.
trust that this storm will be a suf1icirn
Is security against all solicitations to make m
risk my life upon the ocean. This is til
D. only thing in which dare be rebel; bu
= III this would not obey either the pope. O
lg even my father himself, was lie again TO re
III turn upon the earth. | will leave lhc al
Ig to the birds and the sea to the fish, for
s. am land animal, and 10 the land will con
le hde myself Send me whittier you pleas,
ir VIII so to the farthest cast, or even roun
Je this world, provided never quit my footn
upon the earth. | know very we'll that Dj
al vines insist there is as much danger by Ian
of as by sea. 1t may be so. But besecch 70
at 10 permit me to give up my life where
of first received it. like that saving of one {
yc the ancients,-" He who is shipwrecked
nn.i ttn1,, ~