or Goods was all their own if they could lay hands on them. Nothing but breaking open Houses, rufhing into Shops, and taking from the owners what they pleafed even before their faces; Yea Robbing them of Money and goods in the open Street, as they were carrying them to other places for fe curity whilft others in Canoes, Wherries, Ship-boats &c. were plundring Chefts, Boxes, Scriptors, &c. of what they could find in them upon the Water: Even the very Slaves thinking it their time of Liberty, committed many barbarous Infolencies and Robberyes, till they were fuppreffed by the death of fome and punishment of others. And indeed our firft fears were concerning our Blacks, thofe irreconcilable and yet intestine Enemies of ours, who are no otherwife our Subjects than as the whip makes them, who feeing our strongest Houses de molifht, our Army broken, and hearing of the Destruction of our greateft dependency the Town of Port-Royal, might in hopes of Liberty be stirred up to rife in Rebellion; against us; which is a War always the more terrible, by how much there is no quarter given in it, but they kill and flay all the Whites, Men, Women and Children that they can Conquer; But God be praised thole fears are now blown over. Many days did thefe Depredations laft, efpecially the Water, where the dead were Rob'd of what they had about them, fome

upon

ftript, others fearched, their Pockets pick'd, their Fingers cut off for their Rings,theirGold Buttons taken out of their fhirts, and then they were turn'd adrift again. From thence was taken all manner of ftores that would fwim, every one taking that for his own which he could lay his hands on, as Pork, Beef, Mackril, Saltfifh, Cocoa, Candle, Soap, Wine, Beer, Brandy, and a vaft deal of other things, not to be thought of, or reckoned up. So that the richeft became pooreft, and the meaneft of the People were inriched by the loffes of others, to estimate which feems as difficult as to reckon the number of the People loft, and deftroyed.

Port-Royal in its flourishing condition was a famous Empory and Mart Town for the Weft-Indies and the Archinto being fettled there, a very large fhare of the riches of Mexico and Peru were brought thither, and vaft fums of Coin and Bullion yearly tranfported for England, to the great enriching of the Jamaica Merchants and Factors, fo that it was hard to compute what was loft, but many think, at least the value of four hundred Thousand Pounds at Port-Royal only; Yet in the midst of this woful Calamity, fome People were miraculoufly preferved from Death, being fwallowed down into the Bowels of the Earth alive, yet fpued up again and faved by the violent Eruption of Water through thofe Gaps; Others,as themfelves affirm, (if G they

they were then capable of knowing what was done to them,they were fwallowed up in one place and by the rushing of the Waters to and fro, by reafon of the Agitation of the Earth at that time, were caft up again by another Chafm at places far diftant. But the general means of Prefervation was by Peoples flying as fast as they could toward the back Sea fide, or fpeedily getting aboard the Ships in the Harbour, which were crouded with Men, Women and Children: Among others a Man of War, the Swallowthen in Harbour was fo damaged by the fall of the Houses that the became utterly unferviceable, and Twelve Shallops were funk by the fame means,

Likewife Ligania, the firft and principal Town for Planting, and imitating if not exceeding, the ftately Buildings of PortRoyal, is now brought to moft terrible Defulation, and its fine New Built and yet Unfinished Church buried in the fame ruin with the Houses. Above which place the Coftly Blue Mountains lift up their heads, but are now fo rent and torn, that they are fearful to behold and ftand like lafting marks of Divine Wrath; which hath also happened in other parts of the Country which is very Hilly in the middle, fo that by the fall of a Mountain into the Channel of the River which fupplies both this Town and PortRoyal, with Water, the River became dry for fixteen hours together, to the terror of the Inhabitants, fearing the Desertion as well

as

as Defolation of the place, till it afterwards Run again as formerly, and they were informed of the caufe of the Stoppage of the Water for fo long a time,

This, among other reafons, was the caufe why the People that were faved at PortRoyal were almoft perifhed for Thrift in their deep Extremity; their own Watercasks being either ruined or fwam away into the Sea, and no Boats to fetch any in thatDif mal Confternation, or otherwile imployed to fave Peoples Lives, or to get Plunder. Or if any did go, there was no Water to be had; fo that it was hard to be gotten and very dear, mauy paying great rates only to quench their Thirft. And yet for all these Woful Difafters, great Numbers of People are not at all Reformed of their Wickedness which brought them upon us, but there is the fame Whoring and Drinking, the fame Curfing and Swearing, if not worse, than formerly; So that we have caufe to fear the Judgment of Sodom may be our next punish

ment.

In the midst of our Diftrefs it pleased God to give us a Signal Victory over our Enemies the French, who happened at that time to make the Sharpest Attack upon us fince the War, having Landed, as we hear, Two Hundred Men on the North fide of the Ifland, which is but weakly furnisht with Men, where they intrenched themfelves, but were fhamefully beaten out by a Vigo

G 2

rous

rous Attack in the Night by a Party of about Thirty Men, who Slew Seven or Eight. out-right, and the reft flying to their Boats, Thirty of them were drowned; while in the mean time our Fleet, which was fet out on purpofe, perfuing theirs, we took one Shallop, and made them defperately blow up their great Ship; fuch as were faved remaining our Prifoners, and others fled home to give an Account of their overthrow.

To conclude, God in his Difpleasure remembred Mercy, for though fuch Numbers perifht at Port-Royal, where they were thronged together in an Ifthmus of Land; yet I cannot hear of fifty Perfons both Whites and Blacks that were loft befide throughout all the Island.

Other Letters add thefe particulars; that this terrible Earthquake came from the North, and attacked Port-Royal on the Harbour fide, on which was the Wharf the whole length of the place, where stood the Kings House, a Baltion of 207 Guns, Carlile Battery of 119 Guns, and the Houfes of the greatest Merchants; All thofe Sunk down in a moment from three to five fathom of Water. Some were funk in their Houfes, others buried in the Rubbish, fome who were got into clear Water and could Swim were carried away with drifts of Timber and tops of Houfes, driven by a fleering carreer and there perifhed. Nothing elfe was feen but the Dead and dying, nothing