The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1868.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 367, 3 October 1868, Page 4

The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1868.

The earthquake on the western coast of South America, of which we gave particulars in pur Pauatna Mail telegram, appears to have been one of tbe most awful visitations that the world has known for years, possibly one of the most disastrous that has ever occurred. As yet the returns of the casualties that have happened is vague and uucertain, but we know that sixteen ports and towns are enumerated as being destroyed, accompanied by a most horrible and sickening loss of life. The first mention in the correspondence of the earthquake is made as occurring in Ecuador, or Equador as it is variously spelt. The chief town of this is Guayaquil, in latitude 2 S., and theplaces mentioned are situated along the to istto Mexillones, which is situated in 23 S. Owing to the very imperfect charts or maps at our disposal we are unable to trace out the whole of the places where the devastation has taken place, but taking Guayaquil as a starting point, we find that at least twentyone degrees of latitude, without allowing for any trending of the coast line, show an extent of nearly thirteen hundred miles from north to south, all thickly populated, that have been subjected to this frightful convulsion. The graphic, though necessarily incomplete letter that has given us a glimpse into the horrors of the scene, in one place at least, and this by means one where destruction of life was most appalling, lifts in some degree the veil that at present hides the scenes of horror that must have been witnessed on the fated coast; ships dashed to atoms, palaces tottering, and burying their owners in their ruins, the earth opening beneath the feet of the fugitives, piers dashed to atoms as though constructed of glass, mountain waves swallowing up before them and,this too not in one single place, but the picture presented for a distance of thirteen hundred miles is horrible, even to imagine, and must have been as horrible, a* fearful in its reality. Anything more dreadful could not have been conceived, and what the total loss of life is, can scarcely be guessed at. "We have to be thankful, that the earthquake wave which struck New Zealand, at about the same time, was so harmless, and in fact scarcely perceptible. The worst effects, seem to have been experienced in Chala, which is 16 S; May 17 S; Arica 18 S;lquiqu 20 S ; and Mexillones 23 S. Just a this point, a sort of undeulation of the continent takes place, though that, that

could iti any way increase the severity of the shocks, does not in any way appear reasonable. We hear however, of the earthquake passing from South to North, so it is possible, that the interior of the continent, in a direct northerly line from these places,, which would include part of Bolivia and a portion of Brazil might have been equally affected, but that intelligence had not reached the coast when the mail left. At Arequipa, which is styled the second city of the republic, and which is described as levelled to the ground, there is a volcano 18,900 feet in height. Between the points, where the destruction occurred, there are some of the most important ports of South America, that seem to have escaped scatheless. Commencing with Guayaquil, we find no record of damage appears there. The same with referance to Truxillo five Hegrees to the south of Guayaquil, and also with reference to Lima, five degrees south of that again. This latter city is the capital of Peru, and is six miles inland from Callao. The blessing of immunity from the shocks in question may be estimated when we state that six years ago the population of Lima was estimated at nearly 60,000 souls. A number of other places we could quote, containing very large populations, but it is unnecessary to do so. As it is, the calamity has been stupendous in its extent and its effects, neither of which are as yet really known. We must wait for the details of suffering and of destruction . awed, as all must" be, at the fact of a' coast line half as long again as all the islands of New Zealand, being destroyed in one day, as has been the case in this instance.

Whilst on the subject of earthquakes, it may not be out of place to refer to one or two of the principal ones that have occurred, in order to estimate the danger of such visitations. In 1693, in Sicily, 100,000 lives were lost through this cause ; fifty-four cities and three hundred villages being destroyed. In 1746, Lima and Callao, in the immediate vicinity of the late disaster, were utterly demolished, and 18,000 persons were buried in the ruins. On the Ist of April, 1755, at Lisbon, in about eight minutes, most of the houses, and upwards of 50,000 inhabitants were swallowed up, and whole streets buried. At the same time, other places in Portugal and Spain suffered severely, and the earthquake extended 5000 miles. In 1794, the whole country between Santa Fe and Panama was destroyed, including Cusco and Quito, South American cities, close to the recent earthquake locale, and 40,000 people are reported to have been buried in one second. At Frozolone, in Naples, on the 26th of July 1805, 6000 people were killed. In 1851, at Valparaiso, in South America, just ten degrees south of the recent disaster, 400 houses were destroyed, and in the same year in South Italy, Melfi was laid in ruins, and 14,000 lives were lost. In 1854 Anasaca in Japan, and Simoda, were destroyed, and in 1855, Teddo nearly shared the same fate. On the 16th of December 1857, Montemurro, and many other towns in Calabria were destroyed, and 22,000 lives lost in a few seconds. "We learn by the same authority from which we have extracted the above, that in the course of seventyfive years, from 1783 to 1857, the kingdom of Naples lost at least 111,000 inhabitants by earthquakes, out of an average population of 6,000,000. That unlucky South American locality, Quito, was visited by an earthquake on the 21st of March 1859, when 5000 persons were killed and enormous injury done. The last record of importance was an earthquake at Manilla, Phillipine Islands, on the 3rd of June 1863, and 10,000 people are said to have perished. In June 1865, another occurred at Macchia and other places in Sicily, when sixty-four persons were killed. The next on the list will be that of which we have recently heard, and let us hope, though we can scarcely expect our hopeto be fulfilled, that this may close the mournful category of misfortune from such causes.

"We do not wish to be considered ill-natured, but it is rather hard to refrain from remark, when we find another local paper, not only misappropriating our paid for matter, but personally abusing us at the same time. The uncomplimentary remarks indulged in by the " Charleston Herald," in Thursday's leading article, may very well be passed over without comment, but the very cool way in which in the same issue, an important telegram from our Wellington correspondent is entirely appropriated verbatim without acknowledgement deserves notii e

The Provincial " Gazette" of the 28th ult. contains a notification that John Fletcher, fm. Bailey, and Fredrich Boardman, are authorised to con-

struct a tramway for a distauco of about 70 chains through the township of Caledonian Terrace on certain specified conditions. The same "Gazettt" notifies that Thomas Samuel Ward was adjudicated a bankrupt on the 18th of September, and W. H. Hobbs, of Charleston, a bankrupt on the 23rd September. We are informed that it is the intention of the Government to cease telegraphing a summary of news bronght by the Suez mail, and that in future only the mail news via. Panama will be thus honored. If this be really the case, the resolution appears a strange one, aud we confess we are at a loss to discover any particular object to be gained to the Government by the change. Financially, it cannot effect any saving, but rather tend to loss. However, we shall know more about it in another day or two, and be then probably in a better position to judge of the wisdom of the alteration, if such alteration really be a fact. Our Charleston friends seem determined to leave no stone unturned in order to get a daily mail service established with Westport. It is nmv more than twelve months since the matter was first brought under the notice of the authorities, and we should very much like to see the presevering efforts that are being made to attain the desired object rewarded with success.