The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-08-09


and virtues, had fared no better with
his consecratod head than we profane.
Scnor Duenas, Elk President of the Ko.
public. once monk, then lawyer and di.
p.omatlst, and incontestibly in capacity
the first man in the country, was some
what more seriously injured
The streets were now deserted, save
by military guards posted here and
: there, and wo found our progress much
impoded by the piles Of ruin and rub.
bish. Inside the houses was the quiet
Of death. The people fearing to remain
even in the widest streets. had collect
cd, high end low, rich aud poor and were
seated upon the ground in the centres Of
public squares. The stiff Spanish eti.
guette which generally SO completely
divides the several ranks Of the popula>
Con was completely forgotten in this
night vi .",ror. Rich meu and beggars
joined their tears, hair cries. their
prayers, supplications and hymus .eqh
new shock Of more thau common severity.
Don Jose Maria San Martin, the re-
Gently elected President Of the Repub-
lie, exhibited great presence Of mind and
resolution, and gave wise and energetic
directions for the protection of proper
ty. At the corner Of the Cathedral we
met the Franciscan monk, Don Estavan
Castillo beloved acquaintance Of ours,
a member Of one Of the first families in
tho country. He is most ingenious
aud remarkable man whom I have met
il Central America, extremely inquisi
tive, much given to philosophical specu-
lotion.and the possessor Of one peculiar
" characteristic trait in common with
/ PaScai-he delighted to talk Of the
great mysteries of the world, those up
on which the thinkers anA philosophers
of all nations and ages have >pcculatel
in vain. Oar last conversation on the
blind ruling Of the powers of Nature
seemed spgularly adapted to the scene
which surrounded US now. The monk
pressed ny hand in silence lie, with a
baud of strong fellows, was engaged in
search for persons buried in the ruins,
while the bishop and all the clergy of the
higher ranks had fed to Cojutepo1uo.-
At daybreak, already a hundred bodies
had been drawn from the rubbish, but
what the real number Of deaths was |
have not been able to learn. That sew
eral thousands were not killed, we must
sttributc to the caution inspired by tho
severe preliminary shock above mention
cd nor, in all probability, would the
writer of these lines, without that warn.
ing. have ever held the pea again. as the
last principal shock brought down the
heavy ceiling of his dwelling
On Easter Monday the rising sun il.
Illuminated n most sorrowful scene The in
habiants pale with fear and fatigue were
wandering at random through the town
without shelter or place Of rest. The
greater part fed in the direction OF Apopa
aud Cojutepe4uc, leaving everything be-
hind. Among the women, who were most
ly IN extreme ne1ligoe we Noticed the
wife oft President ontreating her hus
lnud to fec also from this place ofhorror.
The President however, remained faith
ful to his duty and continued to act with
energy Most of the State prisoners
persisted, owing to their inability to leave
their rooms. and in one case where two
were chained together one was killed and
the other forced to bear his body until re.
l;cved from his horfid burden by somo
police oiiiccrs \ court-nlartal held un-
der a tent in the University place, SEN
toeced every thief. eau ght in the act of
stealing and proved guilty by two wit.
nesses, TO be shot. "
The ruins of San Salvador" no longer
aflord;ug me shelter l returned next
morning to the haciendG Of an acquaint.
auce on foot, as all mules had either been
stolen or were employed by the mer
chants in removing gools and therefore
not to be procured for any amount Of
pay During my walk thither there
were four shocks one Of which was one
of the seyorost of all, lasting about sew
Gu seconds and being accompanied, as
usual, by loud decorating sound, inst
like the noise accompanying the yollies
at Nosuvius, TO one standing near tue
crater at a time when volumes of smoke
and stone are hurled into the air. Ny
convictions grow stronger every moment
iudl tllt StAl VI Nhie SuuAcl I0htNli aClAun
Is very near, and that the vapors and
glowing masses of the depths are seeking
some new outlet.
Every fugitive Of whom we asked the
reason Of this hurried fight, going off
AS they did with no thought of even the
most necessary articles of comfort, an
swered alikoth after the destruction of
the town the bishop had said that the Gu
tire region around San salvador would.
before another moon had passed, sink
into the depths Of the earth. This proph-
ecy has not, however, been fulfilled. -
The new moon is shining upon the ruins
of tho tows and upon the hacendas
scattered over the plain But the earth.
quakes and the subterranoan noises still
continue and upwards Of hundrea
shocks are felt each day. In all pro1a-
bility the powers below arc striving to
burst the crust of the earth aud build
up a new chimney for their gases, vapors
aud molten masses. Woe to him VIII ,
lives within the reach of the new crater.
DR. MAURICE WAGNEE.
p S-A month has passed since the
above sketch was written. The shocks
have decreased in number aud intensity,
but still they are occasionally felt and
the sounds below are heard. None but
the poorest of the population of San
Salvador have ventured to return to their
former habitations.
.rhc City Of ST Salvador, capital Of the
State Of the same name in Central America,
Is said TO have been founded in l52S by
Spanish emicNnts The town has since
greatly suffered by earthquakes, especially