The Hurricane in St. Vincent. 55 
from my window and observed the sea running high, and 
the smaller boughs of the large almond tree near our 
house breaking off and falling to the ground, but as the 
wood is particularly brittle it occasioned me no alarm, 
From this period the gale increased in strength almost 
every moment, larger limbs were broken off, the sea 
began to run mountains high, and to present the grand- 
est and most awful appearance you can well imagine ; 
the waves rising to such an astonishing height that it 
appeared as if the ocean would swallow up the island, 
and the wind, blowing in a slanting direction across them, 
caused the spray of each wave as it broke to be thrown 
up in the air nearly twice its own height, curling, 
fretting, and foaming, in vain efforts to oppose the 
violence of the wind — a complete conflict of the ele- 
ments. But I was soon called from my brief contempla- 
tion of these sublime objects to the nearer danger which 
threatened us, and to my situation in these trying 
circumstances, with 700 individuals looking up to me for 
protection, amongst these the members of my own 
household — my wife and children — and besides, my 
residence, the various buildings, my horses, cattle, mules, 
sheep, and every living thing that might suffer from 
the violence of the storm, for as yet I had no suspicion 
that a hurricane was advancing onwards. The first 
thing that began to awaken my fears was on looking 
out of my room to observe the overthrow of the car- 
penter's and cooper's shops. I hastily threw on my 
clothes, and while doing so intelligence was brought me 
that the mule and cattle shed had fallen in upon the 
animals, upwards of 50 in number, and fears were 
entertained that many must be killed. Down the hill 
