The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1839-04-03
From the 81. Vincent Chronicle. February l2,b.
EARTHQUAKE AT MARTINIQUE


In addition to the particulars which have
reached us throush the French prr.s, of the
late calamity, we have been favored with a
perusal Of some notes by a gentleman who
has recently inspected Port Royal and ST.
Pierre. II-fa-f..
Anxious Of judging from personal oh
servatton OF the extent of damage commit
ted at Martinique and 81. Lucia, n party Of
friends embarked from Kingston on the
18th uit and after an agreeable but protrnc-
ted voyage bore up for Port Tor, ms il is err
roneously, suspect. writteu) Fort Ryoal, at
ten o'clock at night on Wednesday the 30th.
II was one Of those lovely and serene even
ings, when the moon swa nloft IN the mel
iswness Of spiendor unknown to Europe (;
and as our vessel ncared the shore, refec-
ted IN fantastic grouping the dark lines of
wall which encompassed IL. But If our at
tention was rivetied by the lirs, coup d'oeii,
how UNNECESSARILY was IL heightened on at
tanning the deserted wharf No living be-
,ng opposed our progress no one greeted
our approach. A solitary sentinel on the
Savanne merely challenged, as we made
our way through tottering streets and en-
cumbercd thoroug hfsres, silent as the grave.
Any language of mine is incapable of doing
justice to such subject of absolute desola-
lion; 0f prostrate porticos, dilspdatcd man
SONS, and piles of stone and msrtar, elo-
quent in ruin. Every one felt as if travers-
ing city Of the dead = mar could these
emotions have been more vividly excited in
pacing the disembuwe elled remains Of Her
culaneum and Pompe.
:" On the following morning and forenoon
we repeated our visit, aud yet more in de-
tail went over the spots SO remarkably strik-
ing the previous night; but first impress
sions retained their force. All the public
buildings are either totally destroyed, or so
rent or thrown down as to be useless. OF
I1OO houses which composed the city, only
10 are saved; and singular to say, these
are wooden edihccs. Whole lines Of streets
m the n'eaner suburbs were euicmbed with
the inmates by the falling Of the lofiicr stone
dwellings in their vicinity. But of all the
remarkable spectacles in this accuniulaiisu
of horrors, none can vie with tina, presented
abv the arched fragments Of the Convent
the tnt,ered shreds of the old, and the site
of what Uas tho new hospital. This spIen-
did building, but recently completed. and
which cost nm intelligent merchant in
Formed us) 100000, is entirely razed to
the earth. Not u stone remains upon an
other, and the soil Of the open space or
yard, in front, Is white from the dust into
which il crurnbled with its imprisoned pa
&ients, 46 in number, of whom "a were mil
itary. An iden may be formed of the i'm
pe'us of the earthquake in this quarter,
when mention that between tea and twelve
feet In front of the base lie the iron ratings
which ran along IT,. Adjoining these mass
es ot shattered planks and strewn fra grpents,
10 the cemetry or burying groand. Hnher
AL the killed, after being gathered together
, fam diffrrent points, and deposited in dead
carts an la Place d'ArHes, and thai of des
,.Quartrss Neirs, were huddled into two enor.
mous bitches, ding for the occasion, which
were instantly filled up with quick lime:
Some without arms or legs, others wanting
an eye or anosr, women whose breasts had
been torn off, were plunged in without dis
hnction ofHge. rank, ar sex; and (says n
French wrIter) ns these liasty sepulchres
could not contain the mass Of lodles which
ctogaed them up The assistants were compell-
ed To squeeze, crowd, and stamp them, as
one packs behring's into barrel. Well might
he doubt the evidence Of his senses
We fnnd it difficult; to ascertain the cx-
net mortality. IL would appear that about
900 sufferers were dug out of the ruins, and
. in 500 Of these life was extinct The 9TH
ers we're carried to the artillery barracks.
lifted up as temporary hospital, aud moth.
ing can he better than the arrangements
there perfected. Amputa,iou was resor,ed
tn IN numerous instances, but none surviv-
cd the operation. Government tries to con-
cc"l the extent Of the calamity, in order to
reinspire confidence in the coIonists; but il
admits loss of 300 dead, ant about an e.
quail number woanded.-Having been cour-
teously received by his Excellency the Gov
ernor, Admiral de Moges, and conYersed
with his Aidde-Cnmp and variou, respec-
table individuals, l shall now detail such
further incidents as may probably CRAFTY
the curiosity Of our fellow citizens.
All are agreed that this swful visitation
OF Providence was tempered with mercy
IL, instead Of happening a, o'clock in the
morning, it had taken place few hours
sooner, not q soul could have escaped, as
the town was buried in sleep; bu, occur
ring when the laboring population had for
abe most part repaired To their wonted oc-
cupations, they whose houses first fell, ow.
ing to the superintendent weight Of larger
mansions, avoided the fate which engulpb-
ed their residences. The greatest fatality
occurred ir the streets, which being narrow,
and built with great strength. we're choaked
up by the falling of missiles, &c. Cases of
individual calamity were related to US, pit
liable in the extreme. One gentleman said
that having gone early to the public prom
enade. he belreld the earth ynwn bvfors him,
and shut again, willis, the trees Mt his side
nodded like the waving Of soldiers plumes.
He bethou.ht him Of wife and family. and