New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-07-30
CORRESPONDENCE.
PERIL.
prospEcTIyE EARTEQUAKEs-A NEW ALARM-
THREE YEARS WITH THE FEEJEEo-SUffE"
INGs OF AN AMERICAN SAILOR


THREE YEARS WITH THE FEEJEEo-oorfN'
INGs OF AN AMERICAN SAILOR
fFRoM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENCE
LIMA June 2S.-The people OF Peru are all gre"''
aritated inst now over the predictions OF German
astronomer living in Valparaiso. lie mas proPnos'0"
the coming August three terribly severe ShochS VI ."
o,rtbouole on the 9th 10th and 18th Of August, ana
that Lima and Caao will be partially destroyed ana
the 9oth of September Chill will DO destroyed ana
tbe Goth Of October, Caao and Lima will be utterly
snbmerped and destroyed He bases his predictoh
unop some startling comet and meteOric collision ana
his words have greatly frightened the residents Oh
both Lima and CallaO 1t is said he foretod inc VlS
itation of San Francisco and London England by
the earthquake, and people who laughed NJ his
prophesy were sobered when the earthquakes
really did visit those cities as he loretoid
and began to think that the prophet was
vcritable one, and could foretell GoIS Ihon rs
There are plenty of foreigners who believe MS pre-
dicons in regard TO Peru vii be 1ullleu 10 the very
lotter and some are even making preparations 10 re-
move from Lima and Callao ana oSti'Pe tio ,
able destruction. To give weight 10 tle 81
prophecy an astroOger in London mas 1oret3lu the
same event, and given the same nohths hs tuc UT III
man prophet, but not the days OF inc u3ntn; 10
neopIe so Ignorant supeTstitOus and easily fright
ened as the Peruvians, tins forthcoming uGsuuctGn
seems horrible; and on the streets III Ie cs 90
talked about Even tho priests are reading Latln
PRAYERS to avert tho threatening calamity, ana the
women bPSeechlng their DrOineIbi uuSDdluS anu
fathers to remove with them from the danger that
impends Twas greatly amused, last Saturday morn
ing at seeing and hearing an old crone' VINO sens
fruit in one of the streets of Lima, ana whose
stand is beside the crumbling stone steps
of the cathedral. She had evidently Just
heard of the threatened destruction OF Lima
and her appe-stand and she was mutterng prayers,
imploring Divine aid and selling fruit III inc same
breath i'll most aughable manner. Her manner OF
speech and gesture could not be correctly portrayed
on paper but, described as well as | can, sh WehC
on something in this style: For tho love OF Goa,
don't send the earthquake; two cents apiece
Signor don't destroy this beautiful city; hye lOr
media, Signora, and spare the good CathollCs' ana
the good Archbishop; buy some nice oranges SghOI-
tia we will offer thee many prayers, oh VIRGIN
NARY here's your nice fine bananas; spare US, Holy
Moiherl" &c. sc, And all this gibbersh spoken
i'm tEe same breath, and without pause, and with
the most Spanish emphasis and grlmace' made
most ludIcrOus effect upon the bysanderS. but
testing aside. the people of Lima and Cauao are
greatly frightened at the coming prophesyi anu II
the 9Th 10th, and 18th OF August bring the heayy
shocks foretOd, there will DO no one remaining IN
either city to await their destruction, September ~
Curiosity is greatly exercised IN regard TO inc
forthcoming United states Minister III LIMA aiH tho
former CallaO resident has obtained the position Dut
as he was very unpopular while living here, people
here are unwilling TO believe that he is sent rs Con-
sui until they have satisfactory proof by next
steamer Mr. Sartor. acting Consul at present Is an
American, and has been IN the olnce many years, anu
every living i'll Callao is anxious to have linn re-
| tanned
BY the American ship Kate Davenport arrived IN
tain, Capt French, on his way homo to JON hIs lam
| iy, whom he has neither seen nor heard from IN
three years The narration OF ms suiierngs woulu
| melt any heart, aud yet the poor man, helpless
| almost, and paralyZcd, neither complains, nor
| solicfs charity. Capt French was in command
| of schooner and was loading cOCoanut oil at an
island called Sardge one of the Fece Islands in the
Pacific Capt. French had very nearly tnshed load
ing and had fine full cargo OF tortoise shells ana
| oil and had been in constant communication with
the savages on the island, they had always been
considered perfectly friendly; Suddenly, early one
morning, as he was walking his deck, taking 10
| boat load of natives VINO had just come on pee5Iu
with tortoise shells he struck on the back OF ms
| head with a hatchet and feed TO the deck. Before
he could spring to his feet he was set upon by the
savages, stabbed in seventeen places mostly on nus
back and head his leg broken IN two places ana MS
| right arm stabbed through and through. Inc saw,
ages then left him for dead rs they supposed, and
| began to plumber and kill. As ho had on board IL
| tuns Of tortoise shell, worth about nYo dollars
pound the natives descended TO tho hold TO repoS.
themselves of it, Finding liquor thcy soon All
! got beastly drunk during which time friendly
white man. living on the islands TOOK the lhsrnsipie
form of the captain IN his canoe ana padded 10 ms
own hut. Here his wounds were dressed rs well as
could be done, and he was kept secretcd for several
DAYS natives all suppOSlng lac had been roed0ycr
board by some of them number IN charge OF the
schooner. The white man alone on Savage
Island and kind Of chief among the cannibal-. ana
ever it might be found out that Capt French was IN
his hut. He took him very cautiously therefore at
night, and conveyed him to another Island one OF
the Feejce Islands also. Here h0 left him lying on
the beach, and surrounded by savages hostile 10 all
| foreigners, yet not cannlbas. strange as III may
| seem. these natives finding man inscnsiblc. COW
| cred with bruises and lying for dead, took hun IN,
| cared for him, and bound mp his wounds, Alter
terrible fever and supor of many weeks, he recov-
cred his reason and on asking after the fate Of his
| schooner he was informed that his men were dead
and the schooner chopped mp and split up by the ma
tives. After this for three years, he was kept on
this island to act a kind of servant to the chief
and do any act that they might impose. His labOrs,
| however, were not arduous, as his right arm was
paralyzed and useless, and he could not endure the
| sun on his head which produced n dizzy, fainting
SPELL "durng which / always prayed TO die" he
says At the end OF thrc0 years an English brig came
| to tho island after COcOanut OIL and Capt. French
for the first time met men who spoke
| English. He now locked mp for fear
that he might escape and IN his dark, dreary cell he
would often hear the voices of the English crew,
! asking each other how il happened that there
natives wearing good wooden coats, pants, carrying
a revolver &c. All these things were Capt FTcnch's
| having been taken from him and the schooner. The
| Chief who owned him constantly wore his Capt.
Frencs) clothes and carried his revolver; but Capt.
| French says: Though was nearly naked, having
shoes stockings, and only an old pair OF pants
beside, never even dared to intimate that the arti
| cles were mine, my life was entirely in their
| hands" Oyerheaung one OF the boats crew tell
another that the captain of the brig would sail that
| night Capt. French made Superhuman Efforts and,
disabled as he was, managed TO escape aud swim to
| the brig. Here he was comfortably cared for, and
arrived at Valparaiso. Arriving there the American
Consul gave him s. but said he did not know that
! he was an American, and sent him on board the
| American man-of-war. The surgeon on board gave
| him pass into the hospital. Here he had brain
| fever and enlargement of the heart, and was given
| up to die. But he recovered and meeting Capt. Otis
| of the Kate Davenport, he gave HIM passage up TO
CaaO Oh his ship, seeing at once that Capt French
| was gentleman, well raised and sincere. lie
also wrote for him to his wife and two children, in
San Francisco Capt. Frenchs arm being useless. On
his arrival here at CallaO Mr. SaTtOr, tho acting
| sul buys him ticket to Panama. and also heads q
| subscription for him at CallaO To this the Amori-
can captains all have contributed and Capt French
will soon be able to sec his home once more. He
leaves on steamer of today Hissuerngs are hor-