THE SERVICES OF LIEUT.-COLONEL FRANCIS DOWNMAN, R.A. 11 
determine. Daring my abode in this miserable place I felt three 
earthquakes. The first one happened about 8 o'clock in the evening, 
after a calm and intensely hot day. I was quartered in a large old 
house, and every instant expected it to fall upon me. The moment 
before we felt the shock, a most tremendous noise was heard, resembling 
the noise of a large body of horse, or coaches, galloping down a hard 
road. On my first feeling it I was struck motionless, and did not make 
the least attempt to run out of the house ; indeed the Lisbon earth¬ 
quake came to my memory and I expected every moment to be swallowed 
.up. My fusee and other things that were hanging up in the room all 
came tumbling about my ears, and so froze me with fear that I 
remained in my chair till it was all over. No othe.r damage happened 
from this shock (which lasted about a minute and a half) than a few 
old houses being-thrown down. 
It was not long after this when we were attacked with another, but 
it was nothing equal to the first. The third happened when I was 
dining on board a vessel in the harbour. The shock we received was 
just as if the vessel was driven from her anchor and had run violently 
upon a rock. The master was frightened and exclaimed “ By G-d 
we have got among the rocks," but running upon deck he soon found 
what it was, for all the people of the town had run from their houses 
into the street. 
After I had been at Petit Bourg about a year, I got leave to go on a 
visit to Basse Terre. I had not been long here when I was again 
seized with the fever and ague, and was more than once given over, 
but being at this time blessed with a good constitution I recovered 
perfectly, and during* the remainder of my residence in this island had 
not the smallest illness. While I was ill here, Lieut. Young was sent 
to Petit Bourg in my stead. 
I went from Petit Bourg to Basse Terre (by land, passed through 
that beautiful part, Capes Terre, which was by this time quite recovered 
from the devastation we had made. The plantations were again 
flourishing, and each of them seemed a little village, from the number 
of slaves the planters possessed. They had now an English market to 
take their produce to, and every one of them was amassing a fortune. 
This part of the island is inhabited only by Protestants, and they 
maintain a clergyman for themselves, taking it alternately to have 
service in one of their houses where they dine and pass the remainder 
of the day. I have often had the pleasure of being with them, and 
always met with the greatest civility and politeness. When I left this 
enchanting place, I found the remainder of the road very rough and 
bad, being principally over rocks and deep gullies which are dreadful 
to look at. The Dos.d'ane, or asses back, is so very steep in its ascent 
and descent that the greatest care must be observed to prevent your 
falling. This place must be impassable to troops if the smallest 
opposition is made, for even rolling stones down it would be sufficient 
to prevent their approach without making use of any other weapon. 
I do not think it will be amiss, in the plan of my journal, to give 
some account of Guadeloupe, as well as I can from my own observations. 
