The late Phcenomenon at Barbadoes. 7 i 



hail during two hours. At three o'clock, a rolling on the 

 roofs of the houses indicated a fall of atones, which soon 

 thickened, and at length descended in a rain of inter- 

 mingled fire, that threatened at once the fate of Pompeii 

 or Herculaneum. ' The crackling and coruscations from 

 the crater at this period exceeded all that had yet passed. 

 The eves were struck with momentary blindness, and the 

 ears stunned with the glomeration of sounds. People 

 sought shelter in cellars, under rocks, or any where, — tor 

 every where was nearly the same ; and the miserable negroes 

 flying from their huts, were knocked down or wounded, 

 and many killed in the open air. Several houses were set 

 on fire. The estates situated in the immediate vicinity 

 seemed doomed to destruction. Had the stones that fell 

 been proportionally heavy to their size, not a living crea* 

 ture could have escaped without death : these having un- 

 dergone a thorough fusion, they were divested of their na- 

 tural gravity, and fell almost as light as pumex, though in 

 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 hv cinders from three till six o'clock in the 

 morning. Earthquake followed earthquake almost mo- 

 mentarily, or rather the whole of this part of the island was 

 in a state of continued oscillation ; — not agitated by shocks, 

 vertical or horizontal j but undulated like water shaken in 

 a bowl. 



The break of day, if such 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 judgement ; a 

 chaotic gloom enveloped the mountain, and an intpenetra- 

 ble haze hung over the sea, with black sluggish clouds of 

 a sulphureous cast. The whole island was covered with 

 favilla, cinders, scoria, and broken masses of vc^lcanic mat- 

 ter. It was not until the atternoon, the muttering noise of 

 the mountain sunk gradually into a solemn yet suspicious 

 silence. Such were the particulars of this sublime and 

 tremendous scene, from coiumencement to caiasiropbe. 

 To describe the effects is, if possible, a more difficult and 

 truly most distressing task. 



TUt LATE PHENOMENON AT BARBADOES. 



PRIVATE LETTEB. 



'« Biittall's l>ljiiutli>u. V'ariih of St. George, May 2, 181?. 



" My df.ar Sui — 1 hasten to give you some account of 



a most awtul visitation of Providence s\hich took |)lacc \cs- 



lerduy in this neighbourhood, and I believe generally 



(hrcuiLhoul thi^ island. 



E 4 " Early 



