1'HE EARTH. 99 



were swallowed up ; in others, the earth closing, 

 caught them by the middle, and thus crushed 

 them instantly to death. Other openings, more 

 dreadful than the rest, swallowed up whole Streets; 

 and others, more formidable still, spouted up 

 whole cataracts of water, drowning such as the 

 earthquake had spared. The whole was attended 

 with the most noisome stench ; while the thun- 

 dering of the distant falling mountains, the whole 

 sky overcast with a dusky gloom, and the crash 

 of falling habitations, gave unspeakable horror 

 to the scene. After this dreadful calamity was 

 over, the whole island seemed converted into a 

 scene of desolation 5 scarcely a planter's house 

 was left standing ; almost all were swallowed up ; 

 houses, people, trees, shared one universal ruin ; 

 and, in their places, appeared great pools of 

 water, which, when dried up by the sun, left only 

 a plain of barren sand, without any vestige of 

 former inhabitants. Most of the rivers, during 

 the earthquake, were stopped up by the falling in 

 of the mountains ; and it was not till after some 

 time that they made themselves new channels. 

 The mountains seemed particularly attacked by 

 the force of the shock ; and it was supposed that 

 the principal seat of the concussion was among 

 them. Those who were saved, got on board 

 ships in the harbour, where many remained 

 above two months, the shocks continuing, during 

 that interval, with more or less violence every 

 day." 



As this description seems to exhibit all the ap- 

 pearances that usually make up the catalogue of 



