256 



Particulars of the great Explosion at Leyden. 



[April I, 



black thick cloud wliich had enveloped 

 the whole city had cleared away a little, 

 the awful truth was rei^ealed, and soon 

 all the inhabitants of the city were seen 

 rushing (o the ruins toassist the sutfer- 

 ers. 'rhere ^^'ere five large schools on 

 the Rapenburg, and all at the time full 

 of children. The horror of tlie jiarents 

 and relations of tliese youthful victims 

 is not to be described or even imagined ; 

 and tliough many of tlicm were saved 

 almost miraculously, yet no one dared 

 to hope to see his child drawn alive 

 from under a hejip of smoking ruins. 



" The flames now broke out from four 

 different parts of the ruins, and thieat- 

 eued destruction to the remaining part 

 of Leyden. The multitude seemed as 

 it were animated with one common 

 aoul in extricating the sufferers fiom 

 the ruins, and stopping the progress of 

 the flames. None withdrew from the 

 awful task, and tlic multitude increased 

 every moment Ijy people coming from 

 the surrounding country, tlie explosion 

 having been heard at "the distance of 

 50 miles. Night now set in, the dark- 

 ness of which, added to the horrors of 

 falling houses, the smothered smoke 

 from the ruins, the raging of the flames, 

 the roaring of the winds on a tempes- 

 tuous winter niglit, produced a scene 

 neither to be described nor imagined ; 

 while the heart-rending cries of the 

 sufferers, or tlie lamentations of those 

 whose friends or children were under 

 the ruins, broke upon the ear at inter- 

 vals. The various effects produced by 

 the catastroj)he on diffident tempers, 

 were strikingly sliown in the conduct 

 of individuals ; many weie so entirely 

 overcome with fear and astonishment, 

 that they stared about them without 

 taking notice of any thing, while others 

 seemed full of activity, "but incapable 

 of directing their efforts to any parti- 

 cular object." 



" In the middle of the night, Louis 

 Bonaparte, then King of Holland, ar- 

 rived from the palace of Loo, having 

 set out as scon as the express reached 

 him M ith the dreadful tidings. Louis 

 was much beloved by his subjects, and 

 his name is still mentioned by them 

 with gre;it respect. On this occasion 

 his presence was vei y useful. He en- 

 couraged the active and comforted the 

 sufferers, and did not le;ive the place 

 till he had established good order, and 

 promised every assistance in restoring 

 both public and private losses. He 

 immediately gave a large snm of money 

 to the city, and granted it many valu- 



able privileees, besides exemption from 

 imposts auu taxes for a number of 

 years. 



Some degree of order having been 

 restored, the inhabitants were divided 

 into classes, not according to their rank, 

 but the way in which they were em- 

 ployed about the ruius. Those classes 

 wei-e distinguished by bands of diffe- 

 rent colours tied round their armsv 

 The widely extended mins now as- 

 sumed the appearance of hills and 

 valleys, cover, d \\i;h multitudes of 

 workmen, producing to liieeyean ever- 

 varying scene of different occupations. 

 The keel of the vessel in which the 

 catastrophe comniencod, was found 

 buried Uecp in tlieeartli at a consider- 

 able distance, together with the remains 

 of a yacht from tlie Hague, with a party 

 of pleasure which lay close to it. The 

 anchor of tlu; powder vessel was found 

 in a field without tiie citv, and a very 

 heavy piece of lead at the foot of the 

 mast was thrown into a street at a great 

 distance. 



To relate every " tale of woe" con- 

 nected with this terrible occurrence 

 would exceed our limits, but certainly 

 one of the most affecting was the fate 

 of the pupils of the dift'erent schools ou 

 the Rapenburir, At the fatal moment, 

 the wife of tlie principal of the largest 

 of them was standuig at the door M'ith 

 her child in her arms; she was instantly 

 covered with the falling beams and 

 bricks, the child was blo\cn to atoms, 

 and she vais thrown under a tree at 

 gome distance. Part of the floor of the 

 school-room sunk into the cellar and 

 12 children were killed instantly; 

 the rest miserably wounded shriektd 

 for help, and one was heard to call, 

 " Help me, help me, I will give my 

 watch to my deliverer." Fathers and 

 mothers rushed from all parts of the 

 city to seek their children, but after 

 digging five hours they found their 

 labour fruitless, and some were even 

 obligetl to leave the spot in this inde- 

 scribable state of suspense, to attend to 

 other near relations discovered among 

 the ruius. They at last succeeded by 

 incredible efforts, in bringing out some 

 of the children, but in such a state that 

 many of their parents could not recog- 

 nize them, and not a fewAvere committed 

 to the grave without its being known 

 who they were. It is very remarkable 

 that many of these children, both among 

 the dead and those who recovered, bled 

 profusely, while no wound could be 

 discovered in any part of their bodies. 

 Many 



