New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-08-24
A VISIT TO HAYTI =. XIII
STILL AT GoNAIvES-EARTHQUAKES

A VISIT TO HAYTI 49,. XVII
STILL AT GONAlVES-EARTHQU
If Your pat cree is not yet exhausted, my notes
made at GoDsyes very nearly are. With this let
ter they " III come to the period of finally, breth-
Ten."
PROCLAHATIONs.
There is DO paper Published In lIaytl out OF Port
su.Prnce TIE army theref re, in some sort, is
made 10 supply the place Of the official department.
of what with Ne would BIZ the Government orgsn.
In eyery town, in The center OF the Place Arms,
there is platform erected from this stand fret,
soon as they arrive the procamatlOns and srretes
Of the President are read Thep, attended by fl
teen or tweDIy rsPged soldiers, who are always
preceded by bslfa dozen drummers an officer, gen.
erslly on horseback, rides through the town s'op-
ping az nearly every block of il, and after ordering
the men into position, in rapid and loud voice,
reads the official ducumeDt. As these papers are
usually very numerous. aud sometimes very long,
il requires considerable time to get through with
Ibis arduous and sultiy work of PRONUNCIATION.
When the excitement il high, or an important
proclamation Is expected the crowd that gathers
is numerous, and often follows tie soldery from
place TO place, to hear and hear again the Official
announcements.
There is salt manufactured at GODaiyes. The
beach is sometimes white with II, when, 10 sultry
days, the tide retires. There are several long,
pIde pits pear The shore, banked up, aod boidiog
from two to three feet of water. The sat seems 70
gather on the surface. aud is collected by semi
mixed women, who wade in II and gather up the
fixes with long wooden sboyels. / saw twenty or
thirty of them thus jressed-with peticost only
ard thus engaged one Day. The salt is not quite
equal TO The salt Of Turks Island AID there is none
of il exported in consequence of the foolish duty
imposed by the Imperial Government.
EARTHQUAKES.
Seeing nowhere any ruins in the town, care
lessy injured one morning if there never had essn
an earthquake iet at GOnalves.
"Ob, yes" was the startling answer, very
often: didn't you feel the shock last ntgh
We did MT but it woke US nevertheless. IL &C.
Cured a; O'Clock in tie morning; when, from
some cause unfamiliar, We found ourselves awake.
IL bad reused every sleeper in the house although
neither Of US knew why we were awake, nor would
hsye thought of it again. found, on inquiry thas
oil of our acquaintances, IN other Douses ana
street, had felt the shock; but, habit having maze
them familiar with ii, they did not seem TO care
anything about it. / noticed nov that the houses
built Of brick were rendered esrtbqdake-proof ~
frames; that a perpendicular wooden poet every
few feet secured the safety of the d~ellers by max
ing il impossible for the bricks to fall out.
We heard several legends of the earthquake
which leyeed the once beautiful city OF the CAPe,
from tie sufferers by its deyastatons, aud others
Our landlady tod US that when Cape Hsyten iel,
preparations going on for four great marriages.
The visitors had already arrived IN their gsy mar
risge robes. The COOKS were busily engaged IN
preparing the bridal feast Some Of the happy
youths were in their baths; others were arranging
their toilet; others sitting, fsy dressed, Tor
their expected guests. A fearful rumbling and
Grassland in one second they were buried alive
FALL or CAPE BAYTIEN.
From Mr.. Bird, the English missionary at Port
au- Prince, Who was a witness 10 the calamity,
received for the first time an Ineligible accounI
OF it.
AT the time of this awful catastrophe" he writes
81 was sttins reading in the balcony of our house.
winch projected into the street, while Mrs. Bird
was in a tbird-story room, with our youngest
and our eldest child. Our servant was in the kitch-
en- with our second child and young person living
with US was in the act of walking from one part Of
the house to another. AT the moment felt the shock
j started from my chair, and soon be:sme con-
founded, not knowing whether TO run backward or
forward; ard in this moment of inconceivable agi
tat'on, the entire wall, from which the balcony
projected, where Was sitting, fell and Was pre-
eipltated with it into the general ruin. The hight
from which was thrown might have been eighteen
or twenty feet, but yet scarcely felt the fall; and,
woen down, Was astonisbed to find myself in ex-
is'eDce, although almost sutiocated with the dust
walch arose from this fearful and general crash. In
tins condition / remained for some seconds, during
which time the earth continued 10 trembs, and, hay-
lDg no idea but that beam, or some falling wall
would soon send me into eternity, / commended my
spirit 10 God my Saviour; but His great mercy sui
fered me TO live.
When the dense cloud of smoke had passed
oyT, arose and behed nothing but one vas. mass
q! uin which extended 10 the utmost limits OF the
nj city OF Cape HayteD, with here and there
person merging from the ruins; which l could com
ps.e TO nothing buts resurrection.
But an intense anxiety soon seized me for M
wife and children; and, knowing that my beloved
VIE was IN the upper room previous ~ the event,
T'lshed TO the place, and my way met servant
81 The kitchen door with our second Guild IN her
srlos quite safe. NY ascent 10 ny dear wife and
chldren was partly over the ruins Of our hs1se and
partly up two staircases which had been dreadfay
shsken and were quite unsafe but my intense AM