508 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



taken up. One more that was 

 missing was never found. From 

 that time the colliery was regularly 

 worked. 



Account of the late Eariliquahe at 

 the Caraccas. 



The earthquake which took place 

 last year at the Caraccas, and laid 

 waste the fine city of that name, 

 besides a great many others in this 

 rich and extensive province, has 

 been but superficially described in 

 the newspapers in which I have 

 seen it mentioned. The extraor- 

 dinary convulsion has not (Decem- 

 ber 1812) as yet ceased ; it has al- 

 ready caused, and may still occa- 

 sion, so many calamities, that it 

 deserves to be more particularly 

 laid before the public. 



On the 26th of March 1812, at 

 five o'clock in the afternoon, the 

 first commotion took place. The 

 air was calm, the heat excessive : 

 nothing preceded or announced 

 such a catastrophe. A shaking 

 was first perceived, strong enough 

 to set the bells of the churches 

 a ringing : it lasted about six se- 

 conds, and was followed by an in- 

 terval of ten or twelve seconds, 

 during which the earth exhibited 

 an undulation similar to the mo- 

 tion of the sea in a calm : the 

 crisis was then supposed to have 

 passed; but immediately extraor- 

 dinary subterraneous noises were 

 heard, and electrical discharges in- 

 finitely stronger than atmospheric 

 thunder ; the earth was agitated 

 with a quickness which cannot be 

 described, and seemed to boil like 

 water when subjected to the heat 



of a very strong fire; there was 

 then a perpendicular rumbling or 

 strepitus for about three or four 

 seconds, followed by agitations in 

 an opposite direction from north to 

 south, and from east to west, for 

 three or four seconds also. This 

 short but awful period was suffi- 

 cient to turn the whole city of 

 Caraccas topsy-turvy, with up- 

 wards of thirty towns, and the 

 country houses and numerous es- 

 tablishments spread over the sur- 

 face of that delightful province ! 

 In an instant all was destroyed to 

 an extent of 300 miles, and 

 80,000 inhabitants ceased to live, 

 while thousands were dreadfully 

 wounded. 



The city of Caraccas, placed at 

 the foot of the declivity of the 

 highest mountain, called La Silla, 

 and on the margin of an immense 

 plain through which several rivers 

 flowed, was considerably elevated 

 above the level of the sea, and al- 

 ways enjoyed a cool and agreea- 

 ble temperature. The 26th of 

 March (being Good Friday) had 

 attracted all the inhabitants to the 

 churches of the city which were 

 destroyed ; thus serving for their 

 tombs : the churches of La Trini- 

 dad at Alta Gracia, which were 

 in the more immediate vicinity of 

 the mountain, experienced more 

 forcibly the effects of the extraor- 

 dinary commotion ; for although 

 originally upwards of 150 feet high, 

 no part of their ruins exceeded five 

 or six feet in height; and some 

 idea may be formed of the vio- 

 lence of the shock which over- 

 turned these stupendous edifices, 

 when it is recollected that they 

 were supported by columns and 

 pilasters exceeding thirty or forty 



