The late Pkcenomenon at Barladoes. 75 



stinctly in town and its vicinity, but in a westerly ornorth- 

 westerly direction, that it is said our Governor, who is also 

 commander of the forces in the leeward island, repaired 

 about two o'clock to the carrison, which was kepi under arms 

 all the nn'ht, from a surmise that Admiral Sir Francis La- 

 forey, who had sailed to the northward the evening before 

 at sun-set with the Dragon and a tender only, had fallen la 

 with the enemy's fleet of four sail of the line and four fri- 

 gates, which, by accounts from Madeira, are reported to 

 •have passed that island. 



" As nothing has transpired this forenoon to countenance 

 «ither the supposition of an engagement, or of a ship hav- 

 ino been lost last night off our coast, it is very possible, and 

 by°no means improbable, that the noise in question may 

 have proceeded from a volcanic eruption, which, without 

 any earthquake having been perceptible in this island, may 

 have produced ihose phasnomena which I have attempted to 

 delineate. , i v 



" During last night the weather has been rather calm than 

 otherwise; and this morning the appearance of the coun- 

 try reseinbics the land in the ntiRhl)ourh()od of the river 

 Niih, near us entrance into the Solway frith, when it has 

 been overflown by a high tide. Many shrubs and low trees 

 with spreadmii branches have been split by the weight of the 

 substance wh.ch has fallen on them, and the sugar-canes 

 are bent down to the ground. 



" On removing the substance from the surface, the grass 

 continues as green at least as it was before, without any ap- 

 pearance of bcintr scorched. 



" The ihermJmeter this day, when placed in a room open 

 to the air, but not exposed to' the direct or reflected rays of 

 the sun, has varied from 70 to bO, ^^hieh is three degrees 

 hii^hcr than it was yesterday at the same hour ot the day. 



°< Being now relieved from the darkness and its conco- 

 niitaiil fears,wc arc beginning to dlstres-,our.>flvcs about the 

 cHect which tlie tallen substance is likelv to produce on the 

 fertilitv of the land : to astertain which with as little delay 

 as possible, my lather in law and 1 have this morning planted 

 various seeds, usetul and ormmiental, in this subs ance 

 eingiy, and also in it when combined with diflereni pinpur- 

 tionsof the soil ; tru^-tincr that the same good J^rnvulence, 

 which has carried us in saiciy tlirough the danger of yeslcr- 

 uay, may be pleased to render this visitation a blessing aud 

 not a curse to the island. 



" Lest you mav wish to a-nrtain the component parts ol 

 this substance, I will scad you by the first good opportunity 



