THE PANAMA MAIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2427, 2 October 1868, Page 3

THE PANAMA MAIL.

__$ — GREAT EARTHQUAKE IN PERTJ. [by submarine telegram.] Wellington, Oct. 1,6 p.m. The Ruahine, from Panama, arrivdd here at 5 p.m. The delay was caused by the Atrato, from Southampton ,to Colon, breaking down and having to put-back!-: She; brings English papers to the- 14th, ; and news viivNew'York teethe 20th August. Passengers for Wellington—Capb 1 J. V. Hall, Capfc. Blane, E.N., Messrs Walker, De Kychne; Garling, Russell, Forster, and West, Mr'and Mrs Bennett, Capt. Handley, Mr and Mrs Harris and five children. For Canterbury—Mr Karalake, Count Geldern, Mr Murray. r v p. J.uur%MivCatiougii^Jfof»Nelßon-- ! Mr Allen. < For Auckland—Meßsrs Webb, Beubowj Edwards; Morris, and Stephen. For; Melbourne—Messrs Perry Mr Mis and Miss Carnige.-■, For. Sydney Frank]arid,';M'J,;W"d"'Mfa* Cf bete/ Gullick, Mangabiiii. arid.infant. --./'J.-;-. ■' li-> '■■•■:■■■* -•>i-'i.'i -i ! -'i:i "' '; ' GENERAL SUMMARY. /.' : v "..J".'}, London, Aug. ;3.

; The : Queen is ingood health.' ' "The Emperor Alexander of Russia ha'a'sigDed a ukase, to be ju. force fire years, abolishing in a great measure cgmpulsoiy military service. "'i.terrible accident occurred iu the Music Hall at Manchester. During a performance the gas escaped, and a cry of fire was raised, which causedia rush to the door. The Btaircase gave way, and 25 persons were killed and 11 injured. A public meeting has been held in Vienna, condemning the exclusion of Austria from Germany, and protesting against the solution of the German question. An insurrection is feared in Cadiz for the purpose of placing Don Juau, the eldest son of General Cabrera on the throne of Spain. Six cardinals were appointed at a consistory in Rome. The Pope's health is good. The number of French soldiers arriving at Civita Vecchia exceeds those removed. Dr John Eliotaon, the. mesmerist, is dead. [bt atxaotic telegram..] August 20. The Queen kas'reached Lucerne. ■ Sixty-one persona have been killed in a colliery. , Ada Isaacs Menkin, the actress and; equestrienne, died at Paris on the 11th AugUßt. ' Don Pablo Castro ii elected Governor of Lower California. The whole State of Vera Cruz is in a state of rebellion. Captain Bridges, of the British war steamer Chanticleer, has raised the blockade of Mazatelan.

The Czar of Russia and the King of Prussia have had an interview at Wiesbaden.

Afire at Lisbon destroyed cotton and other property, valued at £IOO,OOO sterling. Armed insurgents have again made their appearance in Arragon, and troops were sent to disperse them. Lord Stanley and M. Moustier have had a conference at Paris.

It is stated that whilo the present relations existed between Englaud and France, the future peace of Europe was guaranteed. Napoleon has gone to Fontainbleau. It was a cousin of Judge Lushington, and not the Judge himself, who died recently.

A concession for laying a submarine telegraph cable irom Spanish Antilles to Mexico, had been granted to Senor Jose Caceres.

The Czar and the King of Prussia have had a friendly interview. The hit private execution under the Amended Criminal Law took place in London on Aug. 13. At Maidstone, Wells was hanged for the murder of the Station Master of the Dover Railway ; only the prison officials, a few reporters, and three private citizens witnessed the execution.

The weekly statemenibr the Bank of England shows a decrease in bulliou.ofi £571,000. The weekly statement of the Bank of Prance shows an increase in bullion of 31,000,000 francs.

A convention of anti-unionists in Nova Scotia adopted a resolution that "It is necessary to use every means to extricate the people of Nora Scotia from the Confederation that has been forced upon them without their consent and against their will." A Ministerial crisis had taken place in Brazil.

An outrage has taken place near Tipperary. Mr Scully, a landlord, while serving notices upon his tenants, was. shot, and killed; he was accompanied by a guard of policemen. Two of the latter were shot dead, and four badly wounded.

The Paris Moniteuv says in relation to the new French loan that thirtyfour times the amount asked for has already been subscribed,

At a meeting of th« Tory party in the Crystal Palace, resolutions were adopted expressing a determination to support the Church, Throne, and Constitution,

The Hon. Eeverdy Johnson rired in London.

The American yacht Sappho has challenged English yachts. The challenge has been accepted by the Aline, Cambria, Oimara, and the Condor. The race takes place on the 21sfc. The sail will be round the Isle of Wight. of France, En ;land, Prussia, Belgium, and Hollaud are now assembled at the Hague to consider the equalisation of duties on sugar.

A frightful earthquake was experienced on August 13, and following daysjin Peru and Ecuador. Thousands of lives were lost; cities, villages, towns in the interior and on the coast are in ruins. Three men-of-war, and numerous mercantile ships were;lost. The destruction of property is enormous. It is the most fearful earthquake ever recorded. At Iquiqus, the town is completely swept away; nothing but a mass of ruins remains. The loss of life is very great, hut at present there is no estimate.- The ports of Mejillones Pisagua,. Arica, Ho and Chala have shared the fate of Iquique. Arequipa, t the second city of the Republic is levelled to the ground ; not one house is-left standing except a few wooden erections on the outskirts of the city. Moquegua iu the neighbourhood of Arequipa is likewise overthrown. Tacna has escaped with the loss ot sixty houses. Tambo valley, just beyond the new port of Mejia (near to Islay), a small town, was swept away, and'out of 500 inhabitants .only 20 managed to escape. The correspondent of the Panama Herald .writes:—Arica no longer exists. The walls of my house fell—fell'is hardly the word, as they were blown out as if they were shot at me. * v At tlie same time the earth opened, probably two or three inches, and belched out dust accompanied with a terrible Btench as of powder, the air was darkened and I could not see my wife who was within two feet of me with the children. If this had lasted any length of time we must have been suffocated, but in. about a couple of minutes it cleared, and collecting my household gods together I then started for the MM How we passed through falling houses, when we saw men struck down, some stone dead, others maimed, is to me a mystery; but a merciful Providence was over us. We wended ; our sad way. as well as we could towards-'the hills with the earth shaking, making us stagger as drunken people, when a great cry went up to Heaven " The sea has retired." I hurried on, and I had barely got to the outskirts of the town, when I looked back and saw all the vessels in the bay carried out irresistibly to sea; probably with a speed of 10 miles an hour. Iu a few minutes the great outward current stopped, and then arose a mighty wave, I should judge about 50 feet high, which came in with a fearful rush, carrying everything belore it in its awful majesty. The whole ot the (hipping came back with it, sometimes turning in circles, but all speeding on to an inevitable doom. Meanwhile the wave had passed in, struck the mole into atomß, swallowed up. my office as a giant's mouthful, and roaring on, swallowed up the Custom.Hou6e, and rushing,down the same street'carried everything before it in its irresistible course. The remains of my dwelling house disappeared faster than the change of scene in a Christmas Pantomime ; my launches had long since disappeared, and my ruin was thus completed. I stood breathless, looking at the awful sight, but thanking God life had been preserved to me and my loved ones, but each second was a lifetime. Looking seawards, I saw the ships still hurrying on to their doom, and in a few minutes all was completed, every vessel was either ashore or bottom upwards. The Peruvian war steamer America lost about 65 hands, The United States steamer Waterer, escaped with the loss of one life; with a small draught of water she was carried bodily on the top of the sea, and landed about a quarter of a mile inshore of the railway track. The Fredona, United States storeship was bottom upwards, every soul on board perished excepting the captuin, surgeon, and paymaster, who were on shore."

The steamship Santiago reports the almost total destruction of the port of Chala by au earthquake which occurred on the 13th Aug. at 4 p.m., the havoc continuing for about 45 minutes.

At the moment when the steamer was about to anchor after the shock, which was felt very sensibly on board, the sea receded, parting the chain of the vessel, and of the company's hulk at anchor in the roadstead, and then returned at the height of about fifty feet, covering the rocks about the anchorage, and in the harbour, and sweeping up into town for the distance of over 1000 feet. The Oußtom House, Steamship ageney, Mole, and every-

thing within range was-swept away by' three .successive seas,"preceded and followed by as many as twelve' shocks of earthquake, each lasting . from three seconds to two minutes in duration.

Arrieros reports the shock as having been felt very severely on the Pampas; the Goralon of the Tarabode La Jbya, in the midst of the desert,, was denlo. lißhed.

The course of. the-earthquake was from south to north, varied with repeated shocks from, west to east;; the difference in time of the occurrence between Islay and Cbala, distance 145 miles, was about ten minutes. The destruction was caused similarly to that at Chala by three successive seas. Mollendo.—This is the depot of supplies for the Arequila railway. The provision house, and property of every description wero completely swept away.

110. —There is not a vestige of habitation of any kind left, either at the port or in the town, which contained a population of 500 or more-inhabitants. What was not knocked down by the shock was swept away by the flood, and attended with a loss" of twenty lives.

The Minita, English sloop, belonging to Mr E, Wellington, of Valparaiso,, m a total wreck; the Qumbeta, belonging to Messrs Gumbeta Brothers, is also totally lost, as well as a schooner owned in Pisagua, and the entire crews perished.

At Minange, in the province : of Juan Oavelion, we learn that all the cities iti that department have been destroyed. - Cerro De Pasco is \a , ruins. The loss of life and property in .the mining regions is reported very large. The loss of property by the earthquake is estimated at three hundred millions of dollars. The house of Gibbs alone is said to have lost one million.

The United States flagship Powhatan, with Admiral Turner on board, has sailed from Oallao' for Arioa with supplies, and to render (ill'assistance possible to the sufferers; '.': Mr Charles L. "Worm, manager, .of the Arica .and Tacna railroad, and at Iquique, that of Mr William, E. Billinghurst, with half of his family, perished in the ruins. Some members of Mr Billinghurst's family made thenescape in a boat, which was carried through the ruius of his dwelling by the sea. Dr- Bokenham also lost his life atlquique. At Pisagua the Captain of theßritisli ship Kamahamaha, wa'6 drowned .whilst trying to board his vessel during the eruption. The British barque Duna Henrietta was wrecked on the rocks at Junin, all .hands saved; and the American barque Condpr was lost at Mejillones—all the erew saved.

•ii A most extensive fire has taken place ii Callao, originating, it is believed iu the hotel Confianza, situated in the' Calle de Constitucion. Tlie fire extended to the house of the Prefect, and every house was burnt up to the Roma Hotel. In other directions every house was destroyed to the first opening in the street, three or foiirliou'ses beyond thebuildingformerly known.as the "Club Mercantile;" Again, on the other Bide of the street, the houses funning from Calle de Sosiego to Calle d$ Migro were also burnt to the ground; altogether some thirty houses are totally destroyed, and twentyseven others seriously damaged. Pro perfcy amounting to one million dollars has been lost, and only some 80,000 dollars were insured.

The funeral rites of Thaddeus Stevens took place at Lancaster, U.S., on the 15th July; 15,000 persons were in attendance.

The Hon. C. L. Vallandigham hae been nominated to Congress. The Virginia University at Islington, of which General Lee is president, has been' damaged by fire. An iron railroad bridge across the Mississippi river has been completed at Burlington, lowa.

COMMERCIAL,

The third series of London Colonial Wool Sales has been fixed to. commence on Thursday, the 13th August. The following are the quantities arrived to date:—s9,92o bales, Port Phillip; 54,714,5ydney;39,058, New Zealand; 9628, Adelaide; 8477, Van Diemen's Land; 14,319, Cape—--190,116 bales. Further 20,000 bales maybe expected to arrive in time, makingtbe probable total 210,000 bales. • There is notmuch spirit in business, but the trade is everywhere well employed, and in the face of good harvests all over the world, consumption may, towards the fall of the year, be expected to receive a new and more powerful impetus than it has experienced for the last couple of years, The last sales closing prices will, uuder these circumstances, be probably firmly maintained. New Zealand and Australian securities generally have been strongly supported. New South Wales Government 5 per cent. 1871 to 1876,99 to 101; Jan. and July, 99 to 101; ditto, 5 per cent., 1878 to 1896, Jan. and July, 99 to 100. New Zealand 5 per cent., 96 to 99;' ditto, 6 per cent., 1891, March and Sept., 108 to 113; ditto, 6 per cent., 1891, June and Dec, 109 to 111. Queensland, 6 per cent., 1891, January and July, 105 to 106. South Australian Government 6 per cent., 1888 and 1892, 108 to 111 ditto; 1793t0 1908,110t0 112. Tasraanian 6 per cent., 1895, January and July, 104 to 106. Yictorian Government 6 per cent,, 1891, - January and July, 113 to 115; ditto, April and October, 114 to 116. The July divideuds are deducted in these quotations.

SHIPPING. At London.— Per Auckland—lda Ziegler, Countess of Kintore. For Canterbury Blue Jacket, Lady Jocelyn, Glenmnrk. For Nelion— John Bunyan, Malay. For Ofcago— Timaru, Lady Egidia, Chile. For Wellington-Wild Duclr, Melita. At Liverpool.—For Otago and Wellington—Ada, Harveßt Home. At Glasgow.—For Port Chalmers— William Davie.