Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1841-05-24
FOREIGN NEWS.
From The 81. Petersburgh Gazette.


EARTHQUAKE NEAR MOUNT ARAFAT.
Official account Of The great Earthquake, draton
up by Major VeskoboinikoE Of The Imperial Russian
Engineers. This earthquake, which changed in
q lew moments the entire aspect of the country
in the neghborhood of Mount Ararat, commence
ed OH the goth of June Russian or old style) 1910,
at about As minutes after 6 in the evening. Re-
peated but intermittent shocks, which seemed TO
come from the mountain, gave to the earth
movement resembling waves which continued
for about four minutes. The firsi four uad most
formidable shocks, which were accompanied by n
subterranean sound, proceeding IN the direction
of east-north-east, have left or the SUBMITS oil
hills and bottoms of valleys within the range of
the agitation, traces which will not soon disap-
pear, and which the eye of the scientific observ-
er viii recognize after many ages have passed
away.
1t was at the same time observed that numerous
rents or assures took place on the banks oil the
Araxes and the Karassu, from the source OF the
latter 10 its confluence with the Arpatchai, on all
the spots where the banks of those rivers are
somewhat elevated. These assures, which were
parallel with the course of the streams, ploughed
the earth to the distance Of u verst from the beds
of the rivers and in accordance with the move.
ment given to the soil by the shocks, they were
seen every moment to open aud Shut There also
occurred a great number of violent explosions
from the bottoms OF holes like little craers, which
opening and shutting in the same way as assures,
quantities Of pebbles and gravel. The writers OF
The Araxes were violently ugitated that they
above both banks, now causing inundation,
then sinking again into the centre of the bed,
which thus appeared concave.
During these awful moments terror and Desc
lation regned every where to a great distance u
round Mount Ararat. The Persian town of Maku,
and Buuzeth, the chief town OF Turkish Pa
shalic also suffered from the earthquake. Its sue
cessive shocks convused in a few minutes the
earth as far Shusa and Tabrs on the one side
and to Tihs ON the other. But its rayages extern
ded chiefly over the Russian territory. The an
cient and venerable monument of st. James, and
the village Of Acorhi, with its 200 houses and 1000
inhabitants, situated on the skirts of Mount Mass,
at the foot of the great Ararat, were entirely des-
troyed By the immense masses OF rock which were
detached from the summit of the mountain and
by the colossal glaciers, accumulated during an
incaculabe series of ages in that iegion OF eter-
nal snow, which those rocks brought with them
in their descent
In the canlous of Erivan, Sharur, Nakhichevan,
and Ceduba nearly all the houses have been en-
tirely destroyed. In Nakhichevan two Armenian
churches, mosques 779 houses, and IS shops,
were quite ruined. In the district OF the same
name, including the canton Ordubat, the number
of ediiices destroyed has been found to amount
TO 2,436 houses, one church, two mosques, and
seventeen mills, leaving out OF the account 1,095
houses, nine churches, five mosques, and fifteen
mills which were more or less seriously damaged.
In the canton of Sharur, the earthquake threw
down 3, Is houses and rs mills. In the same
canton, on the left of the river Araxes, where i's
banks are some w hnt eleuat iunusIlps look place,
which e-,.ivu away several villages aud the ad-
joining corn fields Most fortunately, the caas-
trophe occurred before sunset, which is doubtless
the that the number of victims, the inhab-
tants of Acorhi excepted, was less considerable
than might have been expected. With that ex-
ception, the number s limited TO merely forty -nne
individuals in the two districts of Erivan and Max
hchevan, exclusive OF seventeen seriously woun-
ded.
In the canton of Nakhchevan upwards of thirty
springs were dried up for some time some con-
tinued, several days after the catastrophe, to
yield only thick and whitish colored water; 9th
ers, on the contrary, became more abundant than
they had previously been; and in tile vicinity OF
several of the latei new springs made their ap-
pearance. Thus the volume of water from the
springs of Karassu and Chapan, near the village
OF Sadarak, is more than double what it was ard
current of water, which first issued forth a
the time of The earthquake still flows from cleft
in Mount Cnd.
AT Karagassaulu, poor village situate at the
confluence of the rivers Arpatcba and Araxes, the
earthquake observed in all its terrific gran
deur. Terrified by the first shock, and summed
by II noise like the rolling of thunder, The inhnb
tants had no sooner raised their eyes TO the sum
nit of the Ararat and beheld the direction OF the
detached masses of rock, than a second SHOCK
oNcittOW thcH Guy HutS' Inc WHOIe VildBt
disappeared amidst an immense cloud of dust al
the same time the earth alternately opened anG
closed around them and numerous columns o
wafer, spoutlng up in the air from tie aperture
threw into the fields sand and pebbles which hac
been dslodged from The bottom of these frgh,fu
gulphs. The unfortunate inhabitants fled in dis
may from the places of their birth.
1t is difficult to afford any idea OF the scene
which presented itself in the narrow valley O
Acorhi. The masses of rock, ice, and snow, de
tached by the first shock from the summit of III,
Ararat and its lateral points, were thrown, at on,
single bound, from height Of six thousand fee
10 The bottom of the valley, where they lay scat
tered over an extent of seven versis.
After the great conclusion, the effects of which
were so dreadful, distinctly felt shocks occurred
ut intervals until the 25th of July they aerwa rd
diminished in force but they did not entirely ceas
in the district of Sharur until The first Of Septem
Der, and though very feeble towards the close O
that PERIOD they were still accompanied by Sigh
subteraneous noise.
The shocks which occurred in the canton O
Nakhikhevan, between the 2lst aud 2Sth OF June
overthrow the buildings which the first earthquake
had shaken. The heaviest shocks which wer
afterwards observed, occurred on the l4th Of July
POSTSCRIPT.
The Caledonia has arrived at Boston, bringin
London news to the Sd inst. Nothing heard c
the steamer President; the English Ministry hay
oeeh defeated on the registration bill, but insea
oires'gnlng they threw themselves upon the coun
Try anu promised a repeal Of the Corn laws. Thi
is the substance of the news.