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LV
tvhtr ttwaugja*—Excellent arrangement! no
ble institution ! Hour different is this from the
condud of my own countrymen; who, ge
nerally, leave the distressed and helpiefs, to.
the mercy of Heaven ; or of a few miftrables*
who have little or nothing to give ?
Upon this, I repaired to the Convaloon 7,
where I fat gazing in pleating transports, at
the profufion of charms which surrounded
me.
The walls were adorned with inimitable
pictures, done by the belt artists. They were
indeed, very fine) but at that moment, they
could not please. In spite of all the amaz
ing, imitative powers of art, still, Nature—
flill thou excellent, especially in tbeje thy
lovelicft <w(jrkt!
After this apostrophe, it was impoflible to
look again at the pitlures. So I impnlfively
resumed my Soileureis $ > and there I expe
rienced, what kind of torture it is, that the
senses fuffcr from “ an excess of fwects.”
7 Convaloon. The hall, or apartment
where company is entejtained.
8 Sottcureis, Something like our easy
chairs.
(T 9 be continued.)
KINGSTON, (Tamaica) Nov. 10.
While we congratulate our fellow islanders
on their fortunate escape, this season, from
the dreadful effefts of a hurricane, that scourge
of the Weft-Indies, the feeling reader will
drop a tear, with us, on reading the follow
ing recital of the fufferings of the miserable
inhabitants of Honduras, written by an in
telligent inhabitant of the Bay, aqd brought
by the last vessels from that place,
Particulars of a mofi violent Hurricane which
happened in the Bay of Honduras , on the 4d
day of September lajl .
ON Saturday the ad of September, 1787,
between the hours of four and five in
the morning, a gale of wind commenced
from the N. N. W. At fix o’clock it came
to blow at W. N, W. with great violence,
attended with rain; the iky became dark and
obfeure, and carried with it a molt threaten
ing appearance* At eight o’clock it blew a
jnolt violent hurricane, attended with inces
sant rain, which fell ver j heavy and ftiarp.
At this time the houses on both sides of the
river Bellize began to fall, and the branches
of the surrounding trees to break, which put
the inhabitants into the utmost fear and con
flernation. About ten o’clock the wind fliift
cd to S. W. and blew, if poflible, with re
doubled violence. At that instant the sea
began to rife, and continued approaching
with such rapidity that the banks of the river
were in a few minutes overflowed. And
shortly after, the whole furface as the earth
covered with water. What houses at this
time remained Handing, were toon brought
to the ground, and the inhabitants, meu, wo
men and children, aged and 1 infirm, were
obliged to commit themselves to the mercy
of the wind and sea, in momentary danger
of being either killed by the branches of the
trees every where falling around them, or of
having their limbs broken by the logs of ma
hogany then drifting with force b* the vio
lence of the wind and current into the biifh.
In this perilous situation, and having
nothing but the profped of death before
them, many betook themselves to the trees,
to logs of mahogany, or pieces of wrecks
then afloat, or t * such canoes, or other crafts,
Providence had thrown in their way ; whilst
others, after making such efforts for their
fafetv and preservation in their worn and
feeble state admitted, perished in the attempt.
The water at this time being in fomc places
tkovit five feet, and in others about (even,
above the furfacf of t!»e Cart!), and still con
tinuing to rife, the scene of misery and di
stress which prevailed, add which was fur
ther heightened by the dreadful profpett that
presented kfelf, from the mod uncommon
violence of the wind and rain, is better to
be conceived than expreded, and equalled,
if not exceeded, any thing of the kind ever
known or experienced i i any part of the Weft-
Indies. The cries of the women and child
ren, the floating of the dead -bodies amongst
the ruins, was truly lhockingand lamentable.
To add to this almost unparalleled lcene of
misery and dittrefs, the minds of the fuffer
ing inhabitants were filled with confternatioa
and dread of the water continuing to rife in
the fame rapid manner it had already done,
an event which alone must have deprived
them of all hopes of future falety and deli
verance ; for the Iky so obscured, ny the
violence of the inceflant rains, as to prevent
any bein£ (eeq beyond the distance of
20 yards.
After remaining in this uncertain and dlf
agreeble situation until near one o’clock, the
hurricane abated, and in a ftiort time after
the weather cleared up, when it presented to
the surviving inhabitants a mod melancholy
picture of misery and distress ; not a tingle
hoefe, hut, or any kind of habitation, on ei
ther fide of Bellize river, Handing; not let's
than 500 houses of different conftruftions
having been blown down, and the whole re
duced to a heap of rubbifti, with the furniture
and effects, of various kinds, either totally
de^Toyed, buried in the ruins, or carried an
uncommon distance into the woods: the dead
bodies of tfiofe who had perilhed in their at
tempts to gain a place of falety, the cat cases
of hous, goats, cattle, and other fpccies of
live stock, lying in different parts of the bulb,
all served to heighten the diftrefiing scene.
Out of 15 square rigged vcfiels, lloops and
schooners, including a number of crafts, and
other vellels employed in bringing wood from
the different rivers, which were riding *t an
chor, at Bellize road At the commencement of
the gale, not a tingle one was to be seen the
whole having either funk or been drove on
Ihore, and many of their hands perilhed.
Befidcs these, a variety of failing boats, ca
noes, pitpans, and dories, were drove out
to sea, or walked to pieces by the violence of
the waves on the beach. In this dlfcomolate
situation the diftrefied inhabitants, without
any clothing or other neceftary refreihmcm,
almost exhausted with extreme cold, their
bodies every where broiled by the blows they
had received from the limbs of trees, logs
of mahogany, and other pieces of wrecks
floating about in the bulb, betook themselves
to the ere. .ing of a few temporary ineds, and
by digging amongst the rubbilh, endeavoured
to find some part of their clothing. In this at
tempt but few of them fuccedecJ, as a coufi
dcrable part of their moveables were drove
by the violence of the wind and sea an uncom
mon distance from their respective habita
tions, and in many refpetf s either totally de
stroyed or rendered ufelels. Upwards of
300,000 feet of mahogany, that was on thore
and in the river ready to ship in the different
vellels, was carried out to sea, aud totally
loft.
Among the number that perilhed were Mr.
John Leith and his wife, Mrs. Bath, Miss
M*Daniel, and Captain Edward Davis, who
having received a violent cut in the bottom of
his foot with a glass bottle, whilst wading
through the bulb to gain a place of fafety, it
produced a mortification in the bowels, which
put a period to his life. Besides these
mentioned, Mr. John Pitt, a moll refpeftabie
member of the community, lately arrived
from Mosquito Shore with his family, was
overfet in his schooner with which he came
from Rowley’s Bight the evening before,
and perilhed. With them most of the ne
groes on board, who composed a part of the
tcficl’s crew, vyer© entirely Jolt, there
Was a number of t*Q ter perfone, wfofifni&jg
are not mentioned* but fuppofedin the whole
to be about ioo and upwards.
CHARLESTON, January'
Yeflerday in the Senate, the committee
appointed to confider his Excellency the Go*
vcrnor’B meflage, and the papers accompany,
ing it, reported that writs tfiould be iflucd for
holding elections un the lid and 23d days of
Febiuary for delegates tc* meet in convention
the 3d day.of March in Charleficm, to cou«
sider the proposed Federal Conftitutioni
SAVANNAH, January 17.
On the evening of Wednesday the pth infF.
two men, named Rogtrs and Owning, and
a lad named Bennett, were killed and scalped
by a party of 13 or 14 Indians, in Midway
fertlement, about 1 1 miles on the other fide
of Great Ogechee ferry; the horses on which
the two men rode were also Biot dead, and
two Negro boys are miffing, supposed to be
carried off by the Savages,
The flop Planter, Capt. Grieve, arrived in
this river on Tuefday last, after a paflage of
14 week§ from London, and £ from Torbay,
nUGVs Jo#. 26.
~ On Thursday laß the Honorable the Gene
ral Assembly of this (late were pleased to elect
the Honorable George Handley, Esq Go
neinor, in the room of the Honorable Briga
dier General James Jackson, who has declined.
The following officers weie chosen for the
present year;
The Honorable Henry Offcome, Esq. Chief
Justice.
John Milton, Esq. Secretary of State.
John Meals, Esq. Treasurer,
Thomas M‘Call, Esq, Surveyor General.
Reuben Wilkinson, Esq, Collector for the
Port of Savannah. And
Michael Rudolph, Esq. Collector for the
' Port of Sunbury.
The following seven Bates have adopted
the New Federal Constitution, viz. New-
Hampffiire, MalTachufetts, Connecticut, New-
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Georgia-
Extrafts from the Journal of the House of
Delegates oj Virginia
Monday , Nva* tt f 1787,
The Houle, according to the order of the
day, ieiolv?d itfelf iqto a committee of the
whole House on the Bate of the common
wealth, and after forae time fpeat therein,
Mr Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr,
Thrufton reported, that the committee had,
according to order, again had the Bate of the
commonwealth under their consideration,
and had come to feyeral resolutions there
upon, which he read in his place, and after
wards delivered iu at the Clerk’s table, where
the fame were again severally twice read,
and on the queßion being put, agreed to by
the House as followeth t
Rtfoived v That it is the opinion of this
committee, that the free use and navigation
of the weftern Breams and rivers, of this
commonwealth, and of the waters leading tx>
the sea, do of right appertain to the citizens
thereof, and ought to be considered as gua
ranteed to them by the laws of God and na
ture, as well as compad.
Rejolvedy That it is the opinion of this
committee, that every attempt in Congress,
or elsewhere, to barter any furh right, ought
to be considered as subversive of juflice, good
faith, and the great foundations of moral
reftitude, and particularly deßrultive in the
principles which gave birth to the late revo
lution, as well as Brongly repugnant to all
confidence in the federal government, and
deßrudive to its peace, fafety, happiness,
and duration.
Rejoiced, That it is the opinion of tb*
committee, that a committee ought to be ap
pointed to prepare injunctions to the Delegatee