Account of an Earthquake at Kutch. Bi? 
date of the last account, between 1000 and 1500 persons 
had been dug out of the ruins. 
The devastation was general throughout Kutch.) From 
‘Luckput Bunder to Butchao, in every town and village, 
more or less lives were lost by the falling in of the houses; 
‘and in the towns of Mandavie, Moondria, and Anjar, very 
_ extensive damage has been sustained. Accounts from An- 
“gar state, that the first wall was almost completely destroy- 
“ed, not one hundred yards of it remaining in one spot, and 
guns and towers hurled in one common mass of ruin. 
' Scarcely a fourth part of the town is standing, and the hou- 
“ses that do remain are considerably mjured. ‘In one 
word,” says the writer of the account, ‘ a flourishing popu- 
‘lation has been reduced in one moment to wretchedness and 
misery ; and I fear we shall have to lament the loss of up- 
wards of one hundred people, besides those hurt.” 
~The destruction occasioned by this terrible visitation was 
“not confined to Kutch. From Ahmedabad, the capital 
~ of Guzerat, we have the following description: “« This city 
“is justly celebrated for its beautiful buildings of stone and 
“other materials, and for the famous shaking minarets, which 
_ were admired by every stranger. Alas! the devastation 
- eaused by this commotion of the earth is truly lamentable. 
‘ The proud spires of the great mosque, erected by Sultan 
. Ahmed, which have stood nearly four hundred and fifty 
“years, have tumbled to the ground, within a few yards.of the 
spot where they once reared their heads! Another mosque 
of elegant structure, which lies to the left of the road leading 
to the Shahee Bagh, has shared the same fate. ‘The mag- 
nificent towers, forming the grand entrance inte the citadel, 
have been much shaken, and cracked in several places, es- 
“pecially the one in which the flag-staff has been placed. 
Many private houses have been reduced to ruins ; but it is 
most fortenate, amidst all our disasters, that not a single life 
has been Jost, and but few accidents.” We learn from Je- 
lilsheer, that “the earthquake was severely felt in that 
place, and the loss of lives terrible. ‘The fort and town are 
reduced to ruins. Many of the people killed were already 
out of doors, which is usually considered a situation of com- 
parative safety. A marriage was about to be celebrated in a 
rich man’s family ; and the casts had assembled from vari- 
ous quarters: the shock occurred when they were feasting 
Vor UVice. aes 2. 15 
