From a Ship’s Captain writing home under
the same date.
“. . . On Saturday the first instant, I
arose at Five, in order to remove my Ship from the
Custom-house, agreeable to my Order; by Nine we sailed
down and anchored off the upper end of the Terceras.
Wind at N.E. a small Breeze, and a fine clear morning.
Ten Minutes before Ten, I felt the Ship have an uncommon
Motion, and could not help thinking she was aground,
although sure of the Depth of Water. As the Motion
increased, my Amazement increased also; and as I was
looking round to find out the Meaning of this uncommon
Motion, I was immediately acquainted with the direful
Cause; when at that Instant looking towards the City,
I beheld the tall and stately Buildings tumbling down,
with great Cracks and Noise, and particularly that
part of the City from St. Paul’s in a
direct Line to Bairroalto; as also, at the
same Time, that Part from the said Church along the
River-side Eastward as far as the Gallows, and so in
a curve Line Northward again; and the Buildings as
far as St. Joze and the Rofcio, were
laid in the three following Shocks, which were so
violent as I heard many say they could with great Difficulty
stand on their Legs. There is scarce one House
of this great City left habitable. The Earth
opened, and rent in several Places, and many expected
to be swallowed up.—As it happened at a
Time when the Kitchens were furnished with Fires,
they communicated their Heat to the Timber with which
their Houses were built or adorned, and in which the
Natives are very curious and expensive, both in Furniture
and Ceilings; and by this means the City was in a Blaze
in different Parts at once. The Conflagration
lasted a whole Week.—What chiefly contributed
to the Destruction of the City, was the Narrowness
of the Streets. It is not to be expressed by
Human Tongue, how dreadful and how awful it was to
enter the City after the Fire was abated: when
looking upwards one was struck with Terror at beholding
frightful Pyramids of ruined Fronts, some inclining
one Way, some another; then on the other hand with
Horror, in viewing Heaps of Bodies crushed to death,
half-buried and half-burnt; and if one went through
the broad Places or Squares, there was nothing to
be met with but People bewailing their Misfortunes,
wringing their Hands, and crying The World is at
an End. In short, it was the most lamentable
Scene that Eyes could behold. As the Shocks,
though Small, are frequent, the People keep building
Wooden Houses in the Fields; but the King has ordered
no Houses to be built to the Eastward of Alcantara
Gate.—Just now four English Sailors
have been condemned for stealing Goods, and hiding
them in the Ballast, with Intent to make a Property
of them.”
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