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TCHILL ON THE EARTHQUAKES, &C. AT ST. VINCENTS. 321 



earthquake. Terror and consternation now seized all beholders. The 

 Charraibs, settled at Morne Ronde, at the foot of the SouflKere, aban- 

 doned their houses, with their live stock, and every thing they possessed, 

 and fled precipitately toward town. The negroes became confused, 

 forsook their work, looked up to the mountain, and, as it shook, trem- 

 bled with the dread of what they could neither understand nor describe ; 

 the birds fell to the ground, overpowered with showers of favilla, unable 

 to keep themselves on the wing ; the cattle were starving for want of 

 food, as not a blade of grass, or a leaf, was now to be found; the sea 

 was much discoloured, but in no wise uncommonly agitated ; and it is 

 remarkable, that throughout the whole of this violent disturbance of the 

 earth, it continued quite passive, and did not at any time sympathize 

 with the agitation of the land. About four o'clock, p. m. the noise be- 

 came more alarming, and just before sunset, the clouds reflected a bright 

 copper colour, suffused with fire. Scarcely had the day closed, when 

 the flame burst, at length, pyramidically from the crater, through the mass 

 of smoke; the rolling of the thunder became more awful and deafening; 

 electric flashes quickly succeeded, attended with loud claps ; and now, in- 

 deed, the hurlyburly began. Those only who have witnessed such a sight, 

 can form any idea of the magnificence and variety of the lightning and 

 electric flashes ; some, forked zigzag, playing across the perpendicular 

 column of the crater; others, shooting upward from the mouth, like 

 rockets of the most dazzling lustre ; others, like shells, with their trail- 

 ing fuses lying in different parabolas, with the most vivid scintillations 

 from the dark sanguine column, which now seemed inflexible, and im- 

 moveable hy the wind. Shortly after seven, p. m. the mighty caldron 

 was seen to simmer, and the ebullition of lava to break out on the 

 northwest side. This, immediately after boiling over the orifice, and 

 flowing a short way, was opposed by the acclivity of a higher point of 

 land, over which it was impelled by the immense tide o>£ liquefied fire 



43 



