32 HISTORY of the SOCIETY. 



ALL the houfes on the ifland fuflfered more or lefs. Many 

 of the private houfes were levelled with the ground, all of them 

 unroofed, and the whole of their carpenter-work and furniture 

 deftroyed. The large elegant church of Bridgetown was redu- 

 ced to a heap of ruins. 



THE fea rofe fo high as to deftroy the Fort, carrying the 

 great guns many yards from their platform, and demolifhing the 

 houfes near the beach. A fhip was driven on more againft one of 

 the buildings of the naval hofpital, which, by this mock, and 

 the impetuofity of the wind and fea, was entirely ^deftroyed and 

 fwept away. The Mole-head was fwept away, and ridges of 

 coral rock were thrown up, which flill remain above the fur- 

 face of the water : But the harbour and road have, upon the 

 whole, been improved, being deepened in fome places fix feet, 

 in others as many fathoms ; and the anchoring ground in the 

 road is much better, by the crufl of coral, which had been the 

 grow.th of ages, being torn up, and leaving a foft oozy bottom. 

 Many fhells and fifh were thrown on more, which had been 

 heretofore unknown. 



THE fufferings and lofles by fea were alfo great and cala- 

 mitous. The wind was too violent for any fhip to ride it out, 

 and they all puftied to fea, where mod of them perimed by the 

 mere violence of the weather, without being driven any where 

 on fhore. Out of twelve of his Majefty's fhips of war that 

 were expofed to it, five have been totally loft ; and out of the 

 crews of thefe, not more than ten or twelve perfons have been 

 faved. 



Dr BLANE was fatisfied, both from what he had an opportunity 

 of obferving himfelf, and from the teftimony of thofe who had 

 beenprefent during the hurricane, that an earthquake attended it ; 

 and he is convinced that it is not a vulgar prejudice or error to 

 fuppofe, that in hurricanes a concuffion of the earth does oc- 

 cur different from what can proceed from the mechanical im- 

 petus of the wind. The flags in the floor of the Great Church, 



at 



