CHRONICLE. 



69 



nBtural gravity, and fell almost as 

 light as pumex, though ia some 

 places as large as a man's head. 

 This dreadful rain of stones and 

 fire lasted upwards of an hour, and 

 was again succeeded by cinders 

 from three till six o'clock in the 

 morning. Earthquake followed 

 earthquake almost momentarily, 

 or rather the whole of this part of 

 the island was in a state of conti- 

 nued oscillation ; — not agitated by 

 shocks, vertical or horizontal ; but 

 undulated like water shaken in a 

 bowl. 



The break of day, if sueh it 

 could be called, was truly terrific. 

 Darkness was only visible at eight 

 o'clock, and the birth of May 

 dawned like the day of judgment: 

 a chaotic gloom enveloped the 

 mountain, and an impenetrable 

 haze hung over the sea, with black 

 sluggish clouds of a sulphureous 

 cast. The whole island was co- 

 vered with favillae, cinders, scoriae, 

 and broken masses of volcanic 

 matter. It was not until the after- 

 noon that the mutteringnoise of the 

 mountain sunk gradually into a 

 solemn yetsuspicious silence. Such 

 were the particulars of this sublime 

 and tremendous scene, from com- 

 mencement to catastrophe. 



Of the effects of this eruption 

 the following account is given in a 

 letter from the Speaker of the As- 

 sembly of St. Vincent's to the Co- 

 lonial Agent in London. 



" On one estate, called Wallibou, 

 to leeward, and on five more to 

 windward ; or, as we speak here, in 

 the Charaib country, the earth is 

 still covered with what I will 

 term ashes, from six to twelve 

 inches; and on one estate, the walls 

 of the boiling-house fell in, as it is 



supposed from the effects of an 

 earthquake. 



" Excepting the one estate to 

 leeward, and those five to wind- 

 ward, I do not believe the injury 

 has been very great. The ashes 

 have fallen abundantly on two or 

 three others, but, it is hoped, not 

 enough materially to injure the 

 soil; this, however, as well as the 

 effect where it is deeper, must be 

 ascertained by experience. We 

 have no data to judge whether it 

 be a mere caput morluum, or if it 

 contains the sources of vegetation ; 

 ifthe latter, labour and industry 

 may bring matters about ; but, if 

 the former, I do not know what to 

 say. So the rivers which turn the 

 mills on these estates, may resume 

 their courses: but no human wis- 

 dom can do more than conjecture 

 on the subject. 



" The estates, from the Charaib 

 boundary, and fromWallibou, have 

 not, as I understood, received any 

 injury ; the ashes fell indeed to 

 the extent of many miles at sea, 

 for after the great and heavy part 

 was deposited, the lighter particles 

 seem to have been dispersed in all 

 directions throughout the island ; 

 it has made a light thin crust about 

 one-fourth or one-eighth of an inch 

 thick, which we consider as doing 

 more good than harm. 



*' Only one white man and I be- 

 lieve forty or fifty negroes have 

 been lost, and some magass houses, 

 negroe houses, and other buildings 

 took fire, from the ignited stones 

 which were discharged to a consi- 

 derable distance, and at certain pe- 

 riods in great profusion." 



Tlie manner in which distant 

 parts were affected by this awful 

 phenomenon is strikingly described 



in 



