Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1839-04-18
EARTHQUAKE AT MARTINIQUE.


81. Vincents Chronicle OF the 18th Feb.
from which we extract the following
particular account Of the late Earthquake
at Msrtinique.-N. r. Gazette.
In addition to the particulars which
have reached US through the French
press, of the late calamity, we have been
favored with a perusal of some notes by
gentleman who has recently inspected
Fort Royal and St. Pierre.
anxious of judging from personal
observation Of the extent o! damage
committed at Martinique and st. Lucia,
~ party Of friends embarked from Kings,
town on the 29th uitimo, and after an a
greeable but protracted voyage bore up
for Port Cor. as it is enormously, sus-
peet, written) Fort Royal, at 10 o'clock
at night, on Wednesday the 30th. II
was one Of those lovely and serene eveu-
ings, when the moon swims alo(t in
the melowness Of splendor unknown to
Europe and as our vessel neared the
shore. reflected in fantastic grouping the
dark lines Of wall which encompassed
Il. But il our attention was rivetted by
;he FIRST coup d'9it, how UNNECESSARILY
was II heightened on attaining the de-
serted wharf! No living being opposed
our progress, no one greeted our ap-
Proach. A solitary sentinel on the Sa-
wanne merely challenged, as we made
our way through the tottering streets
and encountered thoroughfares, silent as
the grave. Any language of mine is
incapable Of doing justice to such sub
nfu ho0 i,,f.z ,l,,,, r~f.
porticos, dilapidated mansions, and piles
of stone and mortar, eloquent in ruin.
Every one felt, as if traversiug "ci,y
of the dead" nor could these emotions
have seen more wildly excited in pa
cling the disembowelled remains of Her.
culaneum and POmpeii.
ION the following morning and fore.
noon. we repeated our visit, and vet
more in detail went over the spots SO re-
InaIkabiy striking the previous night
but first Impressions retained their force.
Ali the public buildings are either totally
destroyed, or SO reut or thrown down as
10 be useless. Or 100 houses which
. composed the city, only IL are saved
aud singular to say these are wooden
edihces. Whole lines of streets in the
Iucaner suburbs were entombed with the
inmates by the falling in Of the loltier
stone dwellings in their vicinity. But
OF all the remarkable spectaces in :his
accumulation of horrors, none can vie
with that presented by the arched frag.
ments Of the convent-the tattered
shreds OF the old, aud the site of what
was the new hospital. This splendid
building. but recently completed. and
which cost Gas an Intelligent merchant
informed us) S lO0. 900. is entirely rased
TO the earth. Not stone remains upon
another. and the soil of the open space
or yard in front, is white from the dust
into which il crumbled, with its impris
oned patients. 40 in number, OF whom
"a were military.
Gan idea may be formed of the impe-
tus of the earthquake in this quarter.
when | mention that between ten and
twelve feet iii front of the base lie the
iron ratings which ran along it. AID,
joining these masses Of shattered plaDks
and strewn fragments is the cemetry, or
burying ground all the killed
alter being gathered together from diff.
ferent points, and deposited in dead carts
OH la Place d'Armes, and that of des
SuaiteS 4>oilsi were nuddied into two
enormous bitches, dug for the occasion.
which were instantly filed Up withquick
lime. Some without arms or legs, 9th
ers wanting an eye or nose, women
whose breasts bad been torn of, were !
plunged in without distinction of age,
rank, rsex and (says French writer) !
as these hasty sepulchres could not con-
tain the mass of bodies which clogqed
them up, the assistants were compelled !
TO squeeze. crowd, and stamp them, as
one packs herring into barrel! Well
might he doubt the evidence Of his SEN
scs
eve found it difficult to ascertain the
exact mortality. 1t would appear that
about nine hundred sufferers were dug
out OF the ruins, aud in FIVE hundred of
these life was extinct. The others were
carried to tine artillery barracks, fitted
up as temporary hospital, and nothing
can be better than the arrangements
there perfected. Amputalion was re.
sorted 10 10 numerous Instances, but none
survived the operation. Government
tries to conceal the extent of the calam;.
ty, in order to rrinspire confidence in
the colonists but it admits a loss Of 26O
dead, and about an equal number wound
ed. Having been courteously received
by bis ExceIlency, the Governor, Admi,
raj De Moses, and conversed with his