16 
of the houses. The land round about sunk to the 
amount of a thousand acres, in less than a minute. 
At the first shock, the sea rolled in, and converted 
the land into a swamp; and in the part of the town 
that remained standing one of the streets was found 
to have been doubled in width. 
Admiral Sir Charles Hamilton related, that, in 
1780, the submerged houses were plainly discerni- 
ble between the town as it now stands and the usual 
anchorage of vessels of war. Bryan Edwards says, 
in 1793, the ruins were visible in clear weather from 
the boats which sailed over them ; and Lieutenant 
B. Jeffrey of the Royal Navy, states, that when 
engaged in the surveys made between the years 1824 
and 35, he repeatedly traced sites of buildings where 
the depth of the water is from four to six fathoms. 
When there was little wind, he perceived traces of 
“houses, especially distinct when he used the instru- 
ment called ‘the diver’s eye,” let down below the 
ripple of the wave. The lake, which is said to have 
covered above a thousand acres, burying under sand 
and gravel every thing of vegetable life that existed 
on the surface, is evidently spoken of some still 
existing ponds in St. Thomas in the Vale; for, we 
are told that, between Spanish Town and sixteen 
mile walk, that is within the gorge of the Rio Cobre, 
at what is called the Bog-walks, (Bocaguas,) the high 
and perpendicular cliffs bounding the river fell in, 
stopped the waters and flooded the vale for nine 
days, the floods subsiding when the river had wash- 
ed away the obstruction. The Blue Mountain and 
other high ranges of mountains are declared to have 
