Oct.] 



CHRONICLE. 



103 



said articles, or any of theni.^-wf-" 

 sugar and coffee to the value of one • 

 third part of the articles so im- 

 ported, and of rum and molasses 

 for the remainder. Provided al- 

 ways, that the value of tlie 

 articles so imported shall lie as- 

 certained by the oath of the mas- 

 ter or supercargo of the vessel 

 importing the same, or by the pur- 

 chaser thereof, before the collector 

 or comptroller, before such vessel 

 be allowed to come to an entry ; 

 and the value of the caigo to be 

 exported to be ascertained in like 

 manner, before the collector or 

 comptroller be allowed to clear 

 out such vessel." 



Extract of a Letter dated St. 

 Piirre, Martinique, Nov. 10. — i)n 

 the 21st of October, this colony 

 was visited by the most furious 

 hurricane ever witnessed here. 

 The details of this sad disaster 

 would be eqvially long as painful. 

 ITie loss of nearly 1,000 lives, 

 25,000 hogsheads of sugar of the 

 present and next crop, incalcu- 

 lable losses in buildings, animals, 

 and the necessaries of life, have 

 occasioned a general desolation, 

 independently of the great anxiety 

 caused by 9-lOths of the shipping 

 w hich Mere in the diffeicnt ports 

 of the island, being either wreck- 

 ed, damaged, or missing. St. 

 Liicie and Dominica have equally 

 suffered; the tempest reached also 

 St. Vincent and Grenada. Its ra- 

 vages extended to Guadaloupe, as 

 well as Porto-Rico and its neigh- 

 bourhood, though in a less degree. 

 The loss experienced by Marti- 

 jii(iue alone may be very moderately 

 calculated at 2.t, 000,000 of fianc.s , 

 exclusively of the shipping: tiie 

 works and buildings of entire 

 parishes were razed to the ground. 



It lasted 2(i hours, \2 of W!;ich 

 with such inconceivable fury, im 

 to produce all these disasters, and 

 to destroy buildings which had 

 withstood all former hurricanes. 

 It will require many years before 

 the colony can recover itself from 

 this heavy calamity. This event 

 has caused the following procla- 

 mation to be issued, which opens 

 the ports to all foreign vessels : — 



PKOCLAMATION. 



Pierre Rent Marie, Comte de 

 Vaugiraud, Vice-admiral, Grand 

 Cross of the Royal and Military 

 Order of St. Loui<, officer of the 

 Legion of Honour, Go\ernor, 

 Lieut. -General of the i^lalld of 

 Martinique and its tiependencies, 

 and Governor-Goneial of tlie 

 French \^'in(hvard V/cst India 

 Islands, &c. ; and Louis Trancois 

 du Buc, Knight of the Royal 

 and Military Ordei-s of St. Louis, 

 and of the Legion of Honour, 

 Intcndant of the said island, &c. 



Considering tliat the sudden 

 and unforeseen disaster which the 

 colony has just experienced, re- 

 (juires that the most prompt and 

 efficacious measures should be 

 adopted for its preservation : 



Considering also, tliat no hesi- 

 tation should take place between 

 an end so important, and means 

 which only call for ])artial and 

 temporary sacrifices : 



AVe, by virtue of tlie powcis 

 conlided to us by his Majesty, and 

 in consequence of the urgency of 

 the case, have pro^ isionally order- 

 ed, and fl<» order as follows : — 



Art. 1 . — The ports of the colony 

 are open to foi-eign vessels, not 

 only for the impoitation of jmo- 

 viiiions, and oth-^r articles enu- 

 merated in the arret of Aul:. .'50, 



1784 



