WELLINGTON. [From the Spectator, October 18.]

New Zealander, Volume 4, Issue 257, 15 November 1848, Page 3

WELLINGTON. [From the Spectator, October 18.]

Within the last (ew clays this settlement has experienced a severe and tenible visitation of Providence From Monday morning lust up to this morning (Wulnes. d- i y)> a f-uceeesion of c.utbqunkes more or less violent liave occurred whi<h have o-cisioned a great destruction of piopcrty, and pioduced a general feeling of alarm. In relating the occunences of tlie List few days, we shall best discharge our duty bj givms; a pLin statement of facts and thus counteract the circulation of "mcom'ct and exaggerated reports. Before deseiibsng the eft'ects of these convulsions of nature, however, it may be neces^aiy to say a few v.ords on the previous state of the weather During Monday tlie 9th instant, there was a strong south-easter accompanied byveiy heavy rain, and, though towards the middle of the week there intervened a few days of fine calm wea'her, on Saturday last auother sjuth-ea>ter occuned of equal violence with the former one winch continual the two following 1 days accompanied also hy veiy h-nvy tain, so mui-h so thai the quantity of rain which h.is fallen dnvinu. the hst week amounted to ten inches, 01 moic than th cc timts the quantity of the whole of the previous month. At about twenty minutes to lw> o'clock on Monday morning, a most severe shock of aneatihq"tike was expuienced which listed for the space of nca ly a minute ; the tliiection of the shock applied to be north and south the moticn was horizontal and unduiatory, until towards the conclu-ion, when it teemed to have an upheaving or vertical motion ; this wr6 followed at an interv.it of half an hour by another shock n<»t so intense as the first, and during the subsequent nineteen minutes a huccesßion of severe -shocks occurred with lesser ones st inteivals, in f ict during the whole of this period, the ground appeared to be in a state of oscillation. Nearly the whole of the night the sou 1 h-easter prevailed, so th.it the fuiy of t .c wind added n& forte to the destiucti ye agencies at woik. When it was daylight it was found that several of the brick build ngs at Ts Aro and in ©thcr parts of the town, had been seriously injur.d by the fiist shock which had caused the greatest amount of damage ; among the buildings vslucb. had suffered most was the Wesley in Chapel. This building was of brick and cemented, thenoith elevation consisted of four pila lers with a central doorway and a large window on either &ido, the pilasters were surmounted by an entablature and pediment, the weight of which acted as a lever in bending forwards the wail when in motion from the earthqu.ke,» cperating it from the roof and causing it to ovei hung so much as to render it necessaiy as to be immediately taken down. The greater part of the chimneys in difLient parts of the town were also eilber thrown down or so much cracked and twisted as to reuder it necessary to take them down. The damage was almost entirely occasioned by the first shock which was the most severe that had been experienced in this settlement. The ships in the I? srbour equally felt its influence ; the sensation experienced on board H.M. Fly, is described to have been as 'hough the vessel had suddenly grounded, the shock was. felt mosi in the fore p*rt of the ship and all the men ran uoon deck. During Monday a succession of smart shocks occurred, one at a quarter to six in the morning, another at twelve o'clock, and another about half-past three, p.m., during the ni^ht some le liter shocks weie felt, and on the fcllowm? morning a severe Fhoek at about hilf-p.ist seven, while during the whole of this time a continuous tremulous motion of the earih wa3 distinctly peicet'tible. On Monday the wind moderated, and during the afternoon und night, and on Tuesday it beiame perfectly cilm. On the afternoon of that day (ycbterdayj at twenty minutes to four a tevere shock occurred, followed in quick succession by another of about half a minute's duration ', this last was as severe as that on Monday morning, but more desti active in its effecti, the motion apppar ing to be more vertical. This completed the damage occasioned by the former 6hoeks, very few brick buildings escaping its destiuctrve effects. The buildings rocked to and fro in a fearful manner. All the brick 6tores at the head of she bay w«re more or less damaged, the walls being either thrown down altogether, or rent im different directions, and thrust out from the perpendicular AH those bui ! dings that had been injured by the former shocks were quite destroyed, while; those which had previously escaped weie now reduced to the eaineiu'n. Anoon'j; the l.'t cr is the Colonial Hospital, vrhich lias on'y been recently conpleud, and whic'i was so injured as to render it necessary immediately to remove the patients, who were taken to Government House, where they will be accommodated for the present. The walls of (he gaol also, and of a laige building at Thorudon, used oi a Bat rack for snldiers, s\re ao much cracked ab to be no longer habitable. Nearly all the chimneys which had pieviously escaped v.ere now either thrown down, or more or let-s twisted and injured. The walls of the Wesleyan Chapel were hplit in every direction, so as completely to destroy the building. A man who was employed in nailing up aome boaids jipa nst thetnd of the roof, which was open by pullitu; clown the pediment, was in imminent danger of beiinw hrowu to the ground ; lie was, how- I

eter, providentially enabled to preserve his hold until j the shock was over, when a ladder was placed against the building} by means of which he descended from j his perilous situation. We regret to have to add to this destruction of property the loss of life. Barrack Serjeant Lovell and his two children, who were pas- j sing down Farish-street from the Government store \ at the time were buried by a mass of falling wall, one of the cliildien, a girl of eight years, was killed on the spot, the other, a boy about four yean o'.d, received so many severe injuries that he died about eleven o'clock last night. Serjeant Lovell himself was also very much bruised, his left log being very much injured. Two severe shocks were experienced in the night, ono at a quarter to eight o'clock, the other at U'jnty minutes to one this morning, with Beveral slight r shocks at intervals, the last was at ten minu'es j to two thi< afternoon. Nearly all the thocki were lin mediately preceded by a hollow rumblinc; noise. This rooming the tide rose to an unusual height, overflowing part of Lambton Quay and all those sections at the head of the Bay fronting the water and immediately a joining the swamp. Dining Monday and Tuesday n:ght a long streak of pale light was observed by several perpons, it appeared to be settled, at a very great distance, and in a Northerly direction. The effectsof the earthquake appear to have been most violent nt Te Aro and Thoindon, and on brick build- j ings of two slonesi With the exception of the chiranies, the buildings along Lnrabton-quay have not bufF red go severely, those also which are on more elevated ground appear to have escaped with leis injury, and several brick buildings of only one story in height have been either but slightly damaged or are quite sound, while all the wooden buildings are perfectly uninjured. The preceding account has only ' reference to the town of Wellington, but we understand that the earthquake was as severely felt at tlie Hutt and Poriiua, nearl* all the chimneys beta? thrown down at the Hutt, while the stone barracks lecently erected at Porirua have besn so shaken aa to be quite uninhabitable. | We cannot conclude this tmstv and imperfect sketch without acknowledging in this Visitation the finger of God — " It is the Lord's doing, and is marvellous in our (yes." It is a calamnity against which no prudence could jiuurd, and to which, as Christians, we must submit with becoming resignation, having deep cause for thankfulness that amidst this destruction of property, whether occurring a» nt first, in the deed of tins ni'l't, 01 ytt later, in the face of day, it has not been at e.ided with greater loss of life.

The publication of the Spectator has been unavoidably delayed till a late hour to-day, in consequence of the greater pnrt of the typeset up for this numher having been thrown down and disarranged yesterday afternoon hy the violence of the shock of the earthquake. — Wilhngton Spectator, Oct. 18.

The mints'eis of the Evangelical Alliance in Wellington have called a meeting of the inhabitants this evening, at six o'clock, in the Scotch Church, for the pu posf of joining in prayer to Almighty God to avert, in his meroy and goodness, the awful calamnity with which we have been oo Reverely visited.— lbid, In consequence of the damage sustained by the Military Hospital, the patients were removed yesterday evening to the Barrack* at Mount Cook. Tne building was of clnv, and the walls weie broken in every direction.— lbid.

Ay Inqupst wa% held this day at the " Ship Hotel,' ' before Dr PitzgeiaW, Coroner, on the bodies of the two thiltlien of Sei grant Lnvell. to whose dea'h we have p eviomily alluded. A verdict wai returned of "Accidental D^ath."— lbid.