C 425 ] 
minutes and an half. To give you an idea of its> 
violence, the water in the cifterns (which are under- . 
ground) wafhed backwards and forwards fo as to 
make a great froth upon it. Every body ran out of 
the houfes and churches, in a terrible confternation, 
but no damage was done, as all the buildings here 
are exceffively ftrong. We thought ourfelves very fafe 
when this was pad, and people recovered a little the 
fright. An hour after, looking out to fea, we faw 
a wave coming at eight miles off, which was at lead 
hxty feet higher than common. Every body began to 
tremble 5 the centinels left their pods, and well they 
did. It came againd the wed part of the town, which 
is very rocky : the rocks abated a great deal of its 
force. At lad it came upon the walls, and beat in 
the bread-work, and carried pieces of eight or ten 
tun weight, forty and fifty yards from the wall, and 
carried away the fand and walls, but left the houfes 
danding, fo that only two or three perfons were 
drown’d. Every one now thought the town would 
be fwallowed up j for although this was run off, yet 
with glades we faw more coming. The people 
were in the utmod condernation, and ran fome one 
way, fome another. The governor ordered the gates 
to be fhut, that people might not go out of town, 
as the land was lower than the town j by which 
means he faved the lives of thoufands, who wanted 
to fly, they did not know where. When the wave 
was gone, fome parts, that are deep at low water, 
were quite dry, for the water retired with the fame 
violence it came with. Thefe waves came in this 
manner four or five times, but with lefs force each 
time ; and about one the fea grew more calm, but 
VoL. 4p. I i i was 
