HUEEICANES. 253 



was broken np, leaving a soft oasy botton:'., and many shells and fish were found 

 ashore, which had been previously unknown. 



The Hurricane passed, in succession, over the Islands of St. Vincent, St. Lucia, 

 Martinique, and Dominica, and included within its area those of Guadaloupe, St. 

 Christopher, St. Eustatius, &c. At St. Vincent, every building was blown down, 

 and the tow)i destroyed. At St. Lucia, which was near the centre of the Hurricane, 

 all the barracks and other buildings M'ere blown down and the ships driven to sea. 

 At Martinique, likewise, all the ships that had brought troops and provisions were 

 blown off the island. On the 12th, four ships with their crews foundered in Fort 

 Royal Bay. The other ships were blown out of the roads. In the town of St. Pierre, 

 on the N.W. coast, every house was blown down, and more than 1,000 people 

 perished. At Fort Eoyal, the cathedral, seven churches, other religious edifices, 

 many public buildings and 1,000 houses, were blown down, as well as the hospital 

 of Notre Dame, in which were 1,600 sick and wounded, the greater part of whom 

 were buried in the ruins. The number of persons who perished in Martinique is 

 said to have been 9,000. Dominica likewise suffered greatly, and Guadaloupe was 

 within the Northern verge of the Hurricane. 



At St. Eustatius, although not far within the N.E. verge, the loss was very great. 

 On the 10th of October, at 11 a.m., the sky on a sudden blackened all round ; it 

 looked as dismal as night, attended with the most violent rains, thunder, lightning, 

 and wind. In the afternoon the gale increased ; seven ships were driven on shore 

 near the North point, dashed to pieces on the rocks, and their crews perished. 

 Nineteen vessels cut their cables and went to sea. In the night every house to 

 the Northward and Southward was blown down, or washed away with the inhabit- 

 ants into the sea, a few only escaping. The houses to the East and West were 

 not so much hurt tiU the afternoon of the 11th, when the wind, on a sudden, shifted 

 to the Eastward ; and at night it blew with redoubled fury, and swept away every 

 house; but the forts, barracks, hospital, cathedral, and four churches remamed. 

 Here between 4,000 and 5,000 persons are supposed to have lost their lives. 



Advancing North-Westward, the centre of the Hurricane on the 14th had 

 reached to the Mona Passage, on the West of Porto Rico. Here the Ulysses and 

 Pomona, with a fleet under their convoy, suffered greatly, and here the Deal Castle 

 frigate was wrecked. Another frigate, the Diamond, fell within the Western verge 

 of the storm on the 15th, but happily escaped by passing Alta Vela, on the South 

 side of Haiti. Above the parallel of 20°, the Stirling Castle was lost on Silver Kay 

 Bank, and most of her crew perished. On the 18th we find, in about 22^° N., and 

 69° W., the Trident, Rtiby, Bristol, Hector, and Grafton, men-of-war, on the S.W. 

 verge of the storm. The ship last-mentioned, on the 16th, at noon, was -in 

 lat. 26i°, long, {by estimation) 71° 30' ; heavy gales and cloudy weather ; lying- 

 to vmder trysails ; the gales split the sails to ribands. On the 18th, lying-to ; 

 strong gales and heavy squalls. — 17th to 18th, carried rapidly to the South-East- 

 ward, when the Trident, Ruby, and Hector, came in sight as above ; at 11 a.m., 

 spoke the latter, in great distress. 



The Buhy, Trident, and Bristol on the-15th, were as high as 27^° N., and they, 

 too, from the Western border of the Hurricane, were driven to the Southward, 

 until they joined company. 



Here the detail becomes imperfect, until we reach the Bermudas ; but to the 

 N.E. of these isles we find the Berwick, on the 19th, which had fallen, on the 

 17th, within the border of the Hurricane from a position to the W.N.W., near the 

 latitude of 35°. This ship had previously been one of Rear-Admiral Rowley's 

 squadron ; she was proceedmg to England under jury-masts, and had reached to 

 the North of the latitude of the Bermudas, when the Hurricane overtook her. On 

 the 16th, at 11 a.m., during calm, there was a great swell from the Eastward. On 

 the 17th, at 1 p.m., she was taken aback; wore ship and handed topsails ; at 3, 

 equally, .with rain ; loosed the topsails ; 6 to 8 p.m., wind E. by N., fresh gales. Or, 



