WEST INDIES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 913, 1 February 1868, Page 4

WEST INDIES.

?j^s^sWfi':J from 'tliq West India Islands 'f'Ojfivgi&pjortw- of continued lnrmcanes and ?*^©cks;:of •earthquakes there, causing great §f^fl^c^n^of property and spreading %^SM^j.ag& dismay in all directions. 'of $i. Thonias' have voted p^tifatoi^of the. annexation of that island a procianiatipn to Islands, ; talcing f oo^^M§XmlMie_ "-', oi \ ■, them on their being it r is exS^^^#^^at^|tMssproclaination will be ipw^January^ • . , '' "

Earthquakes, inundations, and tornados were following each other in rapid succession at St. Thomas, St. Domingo, Tortola, Porto Rico, Santiago de Cuba, and Jamaica, and causing great destruction of property and fearful loss of life. The amount of property destroyed is immense, and the amount of lives reported lost was fearful.

At Mayaguez a fearful shock of earthquake has been experienced, causing much alarm to the -inhabitants and awakening in them a desire to emigrate at once.

, At Santa Cruz there has been a terrific storm, and during it the United States war steamers De Soto and Monongahela had been dashed ashore and completely wrecked. The crews and officers of both vessels were saved.

Havana, Dec. 7, 1867. The Spanish, mail steamer from Cadiz, via St. John's, Porto Rico, has arrived with news from the latter port to the Ist inst.

By this mail we have the confirmation of the reported earthquakes on November 18 and 19. It appears that great anxiety reigned throughout the entire population until the 23rd. The consternation created by the shocks was dreadful. All the edifices in St. John's were more or less damaged, but. no injury to person is so far announced.

One of the shocks lasted for twelve seconds and was felt in other parts of the island. No shocks, however, had been felt since the 25th ult.

Eye witnesses who had arrived at St. Thomas by the schooner Andalusian, report that the Island of St. Martin had nearly disappeared, and that of St. Bartholomew had been almost destroyed by a volcano. Havana, Dec. 9. A terrible earthquake shock occurred at Porto Rico on the Ist inst. At one place the inhabitants were at church hearing mass, and the scene which ensued was .most pitiable. The people were clashed together. The consternation was terrible, and the cries of the women and children were heartrending. Havana, Dec. 10. . The steamers Barcelona and Cacique arrived at Santiago de Cuba from St. Johns. The earthquakes continued on that island, and one hundred and fourteen shocks had been felt during, the course of eight days. Some buildings are reported as having been thrown down by the violence of the shocks.