The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-12-19
Interesting from the West Indies.

| THE LATE HURRICANE AND EARTHQUAKE AT ST. THoM-
AS AND SANTA CRUZ-CEssIoN OF ISLAND OF ST.
THOMAS TO THE UNITED STATES, ETC.
The arrival of the United States steamer De
Soto, Commodore Roggs previously reported lost
in the earthquake at st. Thomas, Danish West
Indies, on the 18th of November, in Hampton
Roads, has already been announced.
| The De Soto left st. Thomas at noon December
| 5th making the passage in six days and half
| Although considerably damaged by the earth-
quake, she leaks but very little. The earthquakes
were Of frequent occurrence from November 18th
up to the time the De Soto sailed, but they we're
| not of great violence. The principal damage was
caused by the first one which shook the buildings
| to pieces, and the smaller ones which followed
only served to knock down the remaining few that
resisted the first shock. The De Sotos bottom
was temporarily repaired by the divers from the
wrecking compaDy's schooner Competition, from
New York. The officers and crew of the De Soto
are all well. Captain Burrough, United States ma
rines, of the United States steamer Susquehanna,
died of yellow fever at st. Thomas. and when the
| De Soto left, Rear Admiral Palmer, commanding the
squadron was lying dangerously ill with the fever.
It had also broken out on board the United States
steamer Don; eighteen cases had already occurred,
which resulted in the death of six of her crew,
but there were no new cases for several days be-
| fore the leaving of the De Soto.
The officers of the De Soto say they never be-
fore experienced anything so terrific as the earth
quake. They were mostly dressing to go. on
Shore it being about three O'Clock i'll the after
noon, when their attention was attracted to
dull, heavy, rumbling noise, and all hands came
on deck to see what it was. None seemed to un-
derstand it except the chief engineer, who has
been in the service some twenty years, and who
| told them it was an earthquake, and that they
would presently see large wave, as they were
| always accompanied by one. One OF the officers
then looked over the side of the vessel to dis
l,,tfO md 10 6icyO hat
was all receding from the harbor, and that the
vessel was being left high and dry. The chief
engineer then called their attention to wave
about two miles out, and which was rapidly ap-
| preaching: The De Soto was lying under one
anchor which was speedily run out, and the
wave struck the vessel amidships, with terrific
force carving her far up the harbor towards the
town. breaking the cable, staving in two of the
ships boats, and carried another away, which
was subsequently recovered. This wave receded
and came in no less than six times, slowed her
keel, causing hel to leak considerably, which was
subsequently temporarily repaired.
One of the Monongahelas officers, in descrlb-
ing the earthquake, states that the wave struck
the the vessel YES amidships the first one carrying her
up into tho town and into storehouse. The
second one landed her high and dry in one of the
principal streets of the place. where she now
lies, monument of the vast devastation COM
mitted. Four men of the Manongahelas crew
were drowned and one had his skull fractured,
from the effect of which he has since died.
Commodore Bissell, with few officers and
some of the crew of the Monongahela, remain at
Santa Cruz with the wreck. All her stores, equip,
ment. etc. have been gotten out and stored, and
the Commodore will await further orders from the
Department.
The De Soto has a number of sick men on board
+ longing to the Monongahela.
TnE CEssIoN OF ST. THOMAS AND ST. JOHNS TO THE
UN ED STATES.
The following royal proclamation has been ad-
dressed to the inhabitants of the Islands of St.
Thomas and st. Johns:
We. Christian the Ninth, by the grace of God
King of Denmark, the Vandals and the Goths,
Duke of Sleswick, Holstein, Stormarn, Ditmarsh,
Lauenborg and Oldenborg, send to our beloved
and faithful subjects in the Islands Of st. Thomas
and st. Johns our royal greeting:
We have resolved to cede our Islands, st. Thomas
and st. Johns, to the United States of America
and we have to that end, with tho reservation OF
the constitutional consent of our Rigsdag, con-
cluded n convention with the President OF the
United States. We have by embodying III that
convention explicit and precise provisions, done
our utmost to secure you protectlon IN your nDer-
ty your religion, your property and private rights
and you usha be free to remain where you now
reside OF to remove at any time, retaining which
you possess in the said Islands, or disposinS there
of and removing the proceeds wherever You
pleace without you being subjected on TINS ac-
count to any contribution, tax or charge whatever
Those who shall prefer to remain III the SAID
islands may either retain the title and the rights
of their natural allegiance, or acquire those OF
citizens oe the United States but they shall make
their choice within Two years from tho datc OF the
exchange of ratificaions of the said convention;
and those who shall remain in theislands after The
expiration of that term, without having declared
their intention to retain their natural allegiance,
shall be considered to have chosen to become
citizens of the United States.
As we, however, will not exercise any constralnt
over our faithful subjects, we will give you the
opportunity of freely and extensively expressing
your wishes in regard to this cession, and we have
to that effect given the necessary instructions to
| our commissioner extraordinary.
| With sincere sorroT do we look forward to the
serverment of those ties which for many years
have united you to us and the mother country
and, never forgetting those many demonstrations
of loyalty and affection VIC have received from you,
we trust that nothing has been neglected from our
side to secure the future welfare of our beloved
and faithful subjects, and thata mighty impulse,
both moral and material, will be given to the
happy development OF the islands under the new
sovereignty. Commencing you to God!
Given at our Palace Of Amalienborg, the 25th OF
October 1867, under our royal hand and seal.
| CHRISTIAN r.