Essequebo and Demerary Royal Gazette 1812 June 16

TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 1812.

FOUND, in the possession of a Negro, a few days past, a GOLD WATCH, with a black silk-ribbon, and a gold key, with a Cornelian stone, to it. Whoever can prove it to be his or her property, will have the same returned, on applying at the Fiscal's Office. June 15.

                  INSPECTOR-GENERAL's OFFICE,
                  Demerary, June 16, 1812.
PERSONS willing to Contract for the following Work, viz. Three Brick Bridges, opposite the three principal streets, leading east and west, in the district of Cumingsburg - will be pleased to give in Tenders for the whole or part thereof, at this Office, (where Plans may be seen) until Saturday, the 4th of July next; when they will be opened in presence of the Commissaries of George-Town, and the lowest offer (if approved of) accepted.
F. Van Den Velden,
Inspector-General.
The Contractor is to be bound in the penalty of One Hundred Pounds Sterling, for the due performance of his contract.

A PUNT LOST from along-side the American Brig Penelope, on Friday morning last. Her length is 36 feet by [blank?] - built of Crabwood, and floored with Cabacally timber, without a cross-beam. A reward of One Joe will be given to any person giving information, so that she may be discovered, by the Subscriber.
June 15. Heneage Williams.

WANTED to Hire or Purchase - a SMALL HOUSE, in the back-part of Cumingsburg. Particulars (sealed up) addressed to A. B. to be left with the Printer. June 15.

WANTED to Purchase, a Young Woman, to attend upon a lady. Any person desirous of disposing of a servant of this kind, possessing a good character, and a capable and lively temper, will please apply to the Printer of this Paper. June 16.

FOR SALE, [heading]
FIRST quality NEWFOUNDLAND COD FISH, in 3, 4, 6, and quintal casks; for which Produce will be taken in payment.
June 16. Garden, King, and Co.

FOR SALE, [heading]
An excellant [sic] Saddle-Horse.
Enquire at the Printing-Office.
[Transcriber's note: no 'posting' date]

SECRETARY's OFFICE, [heading]
DEMERARY. [heading]
 

William Mackenzie, in one month, or in [right pointing brace]
the Brig Penelope, . . . from June 5.
Robert Trotman, in 14 days or 6 weeks, . . . . . . . 5.
Charlotte Gowdy, with 5 servants, in do. . . . . . . 5.
Andrew Rose, in 14 days, or one month . . . . . . . . 6.
Francis Granes, in 14 days or 6 weeks . . . . . . . . 6.
Jonathan Hawkesworth, in do. or one month . . . . . . 8.
E. Fraser, in do. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.
Jesse Furnace, and family, in do. or 6 weeks . . . . 11.
The Hon. A. Meertens, with the first Packet, [right pointing brace]
or in 14 days, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.
P. M'Intyre, in 6 weeks, or by the Ship Traveller 12.
Secretary's Office, Demerary, June 13, 1812.
Charles Wilday,
Sworn Clerk.
[Transcriber's note: in the above, the qualification of 'DEMERARY' ends with this issue]

PUBLIC VENDUES [heading]
IN DEMERARY. [heading]

On Wednesday the 24th, and Thursday the 25th inst. at the store of Messrs. Simpson, Rose, Croal, & Co. - their stock of goods on hand, consisting of dry goods, provisions, and ironmongery. Also the buildings at present occupied by them. - The goods at three months credit, and terms of the premises will be made known on the day of sale.
June 16. Robert Kingston.

The Schooner Fame, Capt. Greenidge, arrived yesterday from Barbados, and has brought Papers to 6th instant.

The only domestic occurrence, we feel of importance enough to announce, is - the commencement yesterday, of the June-Session of our Court of Justice; but it does not appear that any very interesting case has been argued yet. We regret to add that, though better now, His Excellency was too much indisposed to attend. The Chair of Presidency, was however, ably filled by the Honourable John Wilson.

In respect to Foreign Intelligence, notwithstanding what appears this day under that head, we regret that our present number exhibits nearly the same barrenness as those of last week; and more particularly do we lament that no arrival has taken place from Great Britain, either at Barbados or in our own River - because, on the Stage of Europe, there is doubtless performing at this moment, a drama of the most interesting and awful nature, the World's eye ever beheld! For, if we turn to England, (a country now more than ever deserving the tender name of Mother of these United Colonies, from the benign interposition of her Illustrious Regent) may we not suppose that she is determining on a line of conduct towards the Government of America, which will render their Art of Guessing useless in time to come and constrain them either to form an alliance, or to sound the war-whoop over the same land which will certainly, in that case, become their sepulchre! - Or, in the next place, in regard to Spain, if late report be correct, and the Allied Army has proceeded in its laurelled route, where is the improbability of its being near the gates of Madrid, and the ruins of the French Army being about to be placed as stop-gaps in the Pyrenees? - In the third place, from Russia if the late news be true, War having been declared, and the Standard of a New Coalition raised on the frontiers of Poland; may not, in consequence, a blow be now giving, fatal to France and here Allies - fatal, in consequence, to the Berlin and Milan Decrees - and fatal to the Orders in Council; - but, on the other hand, contributary to the emancipation of Commerce, and the establishment of Peace.

ISLAND OF ST. VINCENT. [heading]

Kingston, May 16. - On Sunday last, the Mountain having shewn hardly any signs of commotion, and emitting but a light grey coloured smoke, some gentlemen from the windward side ventured to proceed up to the top, to examine its appearances. On their arrival at the edge of the crater, the scene became awful - a gulph, of an immense distance across, presented itself to their view; but the vast aperture so choaked [sic] up with smoke and flame, hindered them from seeing its depth and figure; the rumbling noise also became so deafening, and the sulphurous steam which it emitted, obliged them to retreat from the place before they had sufficiently ascertained the changes which the Mountain has undergone. They, however, distinctly saw that an immense chasm had been formed on the declivity of the north-east side of it, and, from the whirlwinds of smoke it sends up, they conclude it to be a new crater formed there. None, however, of those violent paroxysms which continued to disturb the tranquillity of the Mountain, have, during the last week, returned; so that we trust soon to see the whole face of nature begin once more to resemble its former appearance.
Many people continue daily to visit the dreadful irregularities of nature which the north end of the island present; but it is very dangerous to walk over any part of the ground of Morne Ronde downwards, or to attempt to approach the Mountain on that side, as many evils may be produced by the subterraneous fire which the earth appears as yet to be filled with. This is evidently the case: as, by thrusting a stick beneath the surface, the hole which it makes instantly becomes a furnace, answering all the purposes of culinary fire. The waters of the Wallibou and Rabacca rivers have not yet begun to flow. The liquid fire which forced its way through the gullies of the Mountain is found to have risen to an immense height in the channels of these rivers, in some places upwards of eighty feet; so that we very much fear the water will never return to its former stream, and some lapse of time may probably occur before the rivers even make for themselves new channels.
We feel deep regret in noticing the dreadful state of desolation to which the Wallibou and Richmond Estates are reduced. Indeed, the severity of the losses which the Planters resident in the vicinity of the Souffriere have sustained, is as yet beyond all calculation, and every computation is totally inadequate to give an idea of it.
May 23. - The changes which the Souffriere Mountain has undergone from the late eruption, having with unabated enterprise for the last fortnight occupied the inspection of the inquisitive, its physical state has at length been correctly ascertained: and, that a new crater is formed is no longer doubtful, the geology of which we have taken some pains to be informed of.
About 700 yards from the flag-staff, which was formerly erected on the East brink of the old crater, is a new one opened, which strikes off at right angles, and is only separated from the old Souffriere by a narrow ridge, and extends in a North-east direction towards a steep protuberance of the Mountain, usually called the Grant's Ridge; and from the mouth of this crater, which is of an oblong shape, it is generally supposed, those torrents of volcanic matter which have covered the Charib country, and reduced it to a frightful desart [sic], came from.
The ascent of the Morne-Souffriere from the leeward side, although there is not a tree nor a shrub standing to impede the earth not offering a firm footing, from its muddy and slippery state; and the tourist in climbering [sic] up its steep sides, every step he takes sinks back half way: while on the windward side, which was before inaccessible of approach, it has now become an easy track to the top.
Some Gentlemen who visited the Mountain twice during the last week, approached the edge of the old crater with fearful awe, dreading to look down at the frightful gulf below, where eternal murmurs, which seemed to contend with the lowest depth of the Mountain, continued to rage with tremendous violence. Frightful precipices, several hundred feet perpendicularly drawn, are to be seen in this amazing cavern; and the spot in the bottom, upon which that beautiful amphitheatre the conical mount once stood, is now filled up with a diffusion of water of a wide expanse, which would appear to be collected from two cataracts which spout down from a spring on the North-side of this immense chasm; the lake is also supplied by a small stream, which rolls down on the North-east side; and the immense pool, in a state of constant effervesence and dreadful agitation, continued during the last week to belch up large masses of mud and black sand, which fell perpendicularly downwards, and which in perspective appeared like a crowd of porpoises jumping about in their native element, while a foam of whitening the margin of the lake dashed with irresistible force on the beach (if we may so call it) that is formed in the bottom.
On the South-west side of the lake is a large furnace in a constant state of ebullition, glowing with a ruddy flame, and throwing up with a thundering noise red hot stones, to about the height of one hundred feet. Thus stands the internal position of the old crater, at least as far as it has yet been the subject of experience, or exposed to human inquiry; whilst the new one continues to emit large dense columns of smoke, which ascending upwards, give a prospect of the bottom, which as well as can be judged is of a conical form.
The immense quantity of combustible matter which has been discharged from the Souffriere Mountain, a Virtuoso of some celebrity says, is equal to the bulk of the Island. - The observance from this, he also says, is very obvious, that the matter thus exploded cannot belong to the Mountain itself, otherwise it would have been quickly consumed; it cannot be derived from moderate depths, since its amazing quantity evinces that all the places near the bottom must have long since been exhausted; nor can it have an extensive or a superficial spread; it must therefore be supplied from the deeper regions of the earth - those undiscovered tracts, where the Deity performs his wonders in solitude, satisfied with self-approbation.
May 30. - It is now evident to demonstration, that the internal agitation and violence of the Volcano has considerably abated, so far as to be approached and visited daily with perfect safety. The most intelligent of our Amateurs have more than once favoured us with local observations, and all agree in opinion that no immediate eruption is to be apprehended. How devout and servent should our acknowledgments be to Almighty God for his beneficent protection on this awful occasion, when we reflect that no similar visitation of any country, but the loss of a gar greater number of human lives were to be recorded. For more than a century and a half written and oral accounts agree in the circumstance of there having been but one severe eruption from this Volcano, so that it may be some consolation to the inhabitants of this Colony, and those who possess estates in the neighbourhood of the Souffriere, reasoning by analogy, that their posterity for generations to come may not experience a similar evil. It must be an object curiously interesting to those who were formerly acquainted with the topography of the interior of the Island, to survey it in its present state of transformation - inaccessible ravines and impenetrable forests have become easy of access, all former impediments being in a great measure removed. The tall and stately trees of our groves, which defied the impressions of time and element, have been hurried with inconceivable violence and rapidity into the valleys, by the torrents of ignited substance, which rolled down the sides of the hills in solemn and destructive majesty.
      "The Sun went down, nor ceased the carnage there,
      "Tumultuous Thunder struck the midnight air."
A North-east view of the crater, at this moment, exhibits phenomena indescribably grand: - they fledge the fancy, and transport us into worlds where nothing but imagination can travel.

GEORGE-TOWN: [centered]
Printed & published every Tuesday & Saturday Afternoon,
By Edward James Henery.
 

Created: 18 June 2008   Last modified:     Creator: Wilmer, John Lance    Maintainer: Rodney Van Cooten

Except where otherwise noted, this site is licensed under a Creative Commons License