Eai'thquake in South America *. 



An oflficial account of the late dreadful earthquake in Ame- 

 rica was received on 7th June 1834. By this it appears 

 that not only was the city of Pasto, with a population of 

 15,000 souls, destroyed, but that that of Popayan, with 

 double the population, suffered the same fate. In Pasto all 

 the religious houses, the churches of Jesus de Roi and San 

 Andrew excepted, which escaped with the loss of their steeples, 

 were destroyed. The catliedral and the churches of San Fran- 

 cisco, San Sebastian, Santiago, with their convents, and Santa 

 Domingo, Mared, and Monjas had been completely dashed to 

 pieces. Only three or four houses escaped, and those with much 

 damage ; and in most of the buildings not a vestige even of the 

 foundation remained. The country around presented one scene 

 of desolation, and the houseless and wretched people were ex- 

 posed by day to the scorching sun, and by night to the chilHng 

 frosts peculiar to the climate. It appears the earthquake com- 

 menced at seven o''clock on the morning of the 20th January, 

 and that for four hours the motion of the earth continued. A 

 repetition of the shocks occurred on the S2d, and completed the 

 ruin. All the villages in the neighbourhood of Pasto, Laguna, 

 Mocondino, Buesquillo, Pejimdino, Puerres, Cunehalla, Ta- 

 mondino, Tongovito, Gualmatan, Pandraco, and Tescuel, had 

 been much injured, and the churches all destroyed. In the dis- 

 tricts of Malatuy, Vacuanquir, Tambo, Bucaco, Funds, and the 

 neighbouring parishes, great injury had been sustained. The 

 commissioners appointed by the Government had reported that 

 on the right of the large lake in the district of Sibundoy, a small 

 rising ground had been observed that vomited forth from its 

 bosom large pieces of rock, and that huge and perforated caverns 

 had appeared in the neighbourhood ; that of the surrounding 

 desert of Bondoniella half had been swallowed up, and the other 

 part so raised above the surface that it had formed a moun- 

 tain of great height, hke that lofty height between Sibundoy 

 and Ajuadrico, which, in its formation, overspread a great 

 deal of the original soil. The commissioners further state that 

 this mountain has, from further convulsions of the earth, moul- 

 dered away, and covered the high roads, causing the formation 

 of immense marshes in the neighbourhood; that portions of 

 • The above account is from one of the London periodicals. 



